Foundations
by tigerlilyweasley
Summary: No girl had infuriated him more. No girl had intrigued him more. Kendall Knight was in over his head about Edith Montgomery, and he was about to get a lesson in why a pair of pretty eyes could lead to more trouble than what they were worth. Kendall/OC/James (Non-Slash).
1. Chapter 1

Okay so I posted this story originally, last summer. Then in a fit of insecurity about my writing, I deleted everything I had on this site. And now I kind of miss having it up so I'm going to start posting my stories again. Some of you may remember this, some of you may not and be new readers, but I hope that you guys enjoy it just the same. :) I changed the name of the protagonist in this story so as not to confuse her with the one i'm currently writing.

Enjoy!

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Ch. 1

As soon as Brooke Montgomery stepped out of the car, she knew Minnesota was going to be a permanent home for her. Her father, a tall, and stockily built man, had popped open the trunk of the car as the moving van pulled up behind them on the street in front of their new house. Brooke sighed as she grabbed her suitcase and duffle bag from the trunk, and followed her father up the concrete walkway to the front door of the two-story house. After he unlocked it, Luke Montgomery let his daughter into the house first, where the aroma of lemon furniture cleaner and freshly vacuumed carpets stung her nostrils. Her little sister Melanie, almost ten years old, pushed past her excitedly to survey their new home.

"It's nice..." she said quietly. There were spots on the walls where the paint looked a bit more fresh, indicating pictures had been hung on the walls of the home and it was decorated nicely. There was plush creme colored carpeting all up the stairs and through the living room, and into the hallway that led to what could be a family room or den.

"Why don't you go upstairs and pick a room?" Luke nodded towards the steps. "I'll tell the movers where to put the boxes." Brooke nodded and adjusted the strap on her duffle bag before hoisting her suitcase up the stairs. There were four bedrooms, and a bathroom, two bedrooms had adjoining bathrooms, and Brooke set her bags down in one. She took a sticky note pad out of her bag and wrote on it and stuck it on the outside of the door, to mark the room she had chosen, at the very dead end of the hall. She moved to the large window on the left side of the room. There was a large tree a few feet away, and a view of the house next door and some of the street. She could hear yelling and cheers muffled through the glass of the window as she watched four teenage boys play hockey in the street. Every once in a while, they paused and glanced down the road for on-coming traffic, or watched the movers bring a box into the house.

"Brooke! Melanie! Come down and meet our new neighbors!" Luke called up the stairs. Brooke tore her eyes away from the boys, slightly disappointed at her fathers' timing with the tallest member of the quartet was taking his shirt off. She sighed and turned, leaving the room with the door ajar so the movers could open it easily. All Brooke wanted to do was go back to her old home, with her friends and not have to deal with all this new atmosphere and change.

"Brooke, Melanie, this is Jennifer Knight, and her daughter Katie." Luke smiled warmly at the first two people who came to introduce themselves. Brooke gave a small smile at the two, and Melanie all but freaked out.

"Is that a Dak Zevon bracelet?!" she nearly yelled, causing Brooke to grimace. Katie smiled politely and nodded. "I love Dak Zevon!"

"Me too! I have some awesome posters in my room! Wanna come see?" the other young brunette asked, keeping the polite smile on her face.

"Sure! Daddy, can I go?" Melanie looked up at her father and he smiled.

"Alright, just be home in an hour, we've got a lot of unpacking to do." The two young girls shot out of the house and darted across the yard, Brooke envying their ability to bond so fast over something so trivial as a popstar.

"Brooke, how old are you?" Jennifer asked, her red hair shining in the early afternoon sun. Brooke raised a hand and ran it through her own dark brown locks, which insisted on cascading in messy waves down her back, and resting just below her chest in the front.

"I just turned seventeen." she stated, biting her lip. She felt awkward, hating these chats with adults, where they want to know you to make it easier to shove their kids off on you. Brooke stuck her hands in the back pockets of her jean shorts and tried to figure out when in the conversation she could sneak away.

"Oh! My son Kendall turns seventeen in a few months!" Jennifer said, with a bit too much enthusiasm. "He's out there playing hockey with his friends, but I'm sure he'll introduce himself soon. He knows better than to be so rude."

"I'm sure he does." Brooke gave a slight smirk. "Dad, I think I left something in the car, is it still unlocked?"

"Oh, yeah, here, lock it when you're done." Luke handed his eldest daughter the keys to his Jeep and she smiled at Jennifer before moving past them and weaving through movers carrying boxes out to the car.

The keys jingled in her hand as she opened up the backseat passenger door and leaned in, searching for an imaginary tube of lipstick, or perhaps an escape route back to her mother's place. She could her the slapping of wood against asphalt and knew it was the boys playing hockey, and one deafening crack as someone hit the ball too hard.

"Head's up!" A low voice called and Brooke looked up and saw the bright orange, plastic ball flying towards her. She backed up and eyed it, sticking her hand out as it began it's fall and caught it swiftly in her palm. She looked down at it before noticing a tall, blonde boy jogging towards her. Sweat soaked his shirt, and his damp hair fell into his eyes, but the smile on his face was proof of a good game.

"Nice catch." the boy smirked, once he made it over to her. He took a few deep breaths and looked around as Brooke held the ball out in her hand for him to take. "Are you the new family that's moving in?"

"I'm a part of it, yes." Brooke answered, her eyes staring into his astonishingly green ones.

"Nice. I'm Kendall Knight. I think you've already met my mother and my sister."

"Yes, they're...nice." Brooke paused for a second. "I'm Brookelle Montgomery."

"Brookelle...that's a different name." Kendall grinned.

"It was my mom's middle name. Just call me Brooke" she replied. "Are you going to take your ball or not? I believe your friends are waiting for you." Kendall glanced over his shoulder at the three guys that were all standing together now, watching the girl and boy talk with curious looks on their faces.

"Uh, yeah. I guess I'll see you around. Thanks, Brooke." he took the ball from her, his fingers grazing hers far too long for her taste and turned and walked away. She watched for a second, then turned and shut the car door, locking it and walking back up to the house. During the exchange between the two teenagers, Jennifer made her way back home, and Brooke found her father in the den, talking to the movers. After they were done, he noticed his eldest daughter's presence in the room and grinned.

"Jennifer invited us over for dinner tonight! Go upstairs and get ready. Your bed is all set up and the boxes are all in there!"

"I feel sick." Brooke said blandly. Her father's demeanor instantly changed.

"Dammit, Brooke, you're not going to pull this shit on me like you did with your mother." He said sternly. "You're the reason we moved here, now you've made your bed, and you'll lay in it, understand young lady? You are going to behave like a proper young woman and not a child anymore."

"Fine." Brooke pushed herself off the wall and left the den, heading for the stairs. She made it to her room and sighed at all the boxes. Her entire life, piled and smushed into boxes. She knelt down and opened the one with her bedding, and went over and made her new queen bed up, tucking in the sheets to her liking. She then found the clothes boxes and dug through until she found her jeans and changed into them, then grabbed a grey cardigan sweater and pulled it on over her black tank top. She didn't bother with her makeup or her hair, figuring there wasn't anybody to impress anymore, and went back downstairs with her cellphone tucked into her pocket.

"Feeling better?" Luke asked. Brooke just nodded. "Let's go then." They made their way across the yards, and Brooke noticed the hockey match was over, and four boys were nowhere to be seen. She frowned slightly at the notion of being bombarded with them, and then bit her lip. Luke knocked on the door and it was quickly opened by Jennifer.

"Hello! Dinner is almost ready! Come on in." she smiled, ushering them inside and shutting the door behind them. "Melanie and Katie are out back with Kendall. Brooke, you can go on out if you'd like." Brooke nodded and forced herself to move towards the back door, through the kitchen, and walk onto the patio. She watched as Katie ran to jump on her older brother's back, and Melanie laughed as he chased after them. Brooke didn't notice the smile that was on her face until Melanie caught sight of her and ran to her, hiding behind her legs.

"Brooke! Kendall is trying to tickle me and Katie! Make him stop!" she begged, giggling as Kendall fell dramatically to the ground as Katie pulled his ears.

"Seems to me Katie has him under control." Brooke said quietly as she pulled Melanie's hands off her thighs. "Why don't you go help her beat him up?"

"Okay!" Melanie made to run to aide her friend, but Jennifer's voice called out from the house.

"Kids! Dinner! Come wash up!" Katie and Melanie ran into the house, while Kendall took his time getting up. He brushed off his shirt and jeans as he made his way over to Brooke.

"Were you really going to send your little sister to beat me up?" he asked, stopping in front of her. He stood above her a good few inches so she had to tilt her head a bit to fully see his face, her own graced with a smirk.

"Are you afraid of a nine year old girl beating you up?" she asked. "That's kind of pathetic for a hockey player." she turned on her heel before he could say anything and strode into the house. She washed her hands in the sink and dried them quickly, and then sat down at the table with everyone else, watching as Kendall eyed her from the sink as he washed his own hands. He sat down at the table and watched as plates were passed around. Once everyone had a full plate, they started to eat.

Kendall's eyes kept focusing back and forth, from his plate to Brooke. She was the first girl who ever talked back to him. Mostly girls either ignored him or fell under his cheeky smiles, his dimples, or his status on the hockey team. This girl knew nothing about him, and didn't care. It was new to him. It intrigued him. He wanted to know why she was so stiff in posture at the table, between her father and his little sister. Why she was barely eating, only when being spoken to, or when she noticed Jennifer looking for a reaction to her cooking.

"So, Brooke, when are you starting school?" Jennifer asked, catching Kendall's attention. He glanced back at her. "Your father tells me you used to go to private school, before the move."

"Yeah, St. Mary's." Brooke nodded, remembering the old uniforms that were packed away in boxes. "I think Tuesday, we start."

"Tuesday is right. I want to make sure the house is mostly unpacked before they get loaded down with homework." Luke said. Kendall was staring at Brooke now, his comprehension stopping at the words private school. He could only imagine the girl's fit body in a school girl uniform, granted, his imagination cut the hem of the skirt a bit shorter and the shirt was missing a few buttons. She looked up and noticed his eyes on her and crinkled her eyebrows, shifting in her seat and clearing her throat.

"Well, I'm sure Kendall wouldn't mind showing you around the school, and introducing you to people." Jennifer said, smiling at Brooke. "In fact, he's going out to meet a few friends later, and I think it'd be nice for you to meet a few people before starting school in the middle of the year." Kendall looked as if he were about to protest but Brooke cut him off.

"I'd love to meet a few new people, Mrs. Knight. Thanks so much." she smiled. "Kendall, what time should I be ready?"

"Eight." he sighed, stabbing his carrots with his fork. He saw the hidden smirk in Brooke's smile. He suddenly felt like the night was going to be a long one, and Brooke had some tricks up her sleeves.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Kendall glanced at the girl in the passenger seat of his car, who was transfixed on the tiny flame emitting from her cigarette lighter appear and disappear. The silence in the car was weighing heavily on his shoulders, dying to know something about Brooke.

"So, you smoke?" he finally asked after clearing his throat. He kept his eyes on the road, and tried to ignore the urge to meet her piercing blue eyes once they fell upon him.

"I might." she said. "Then again, I could be a pyromaniac planning to set your entire car on fire. I can't decide which."

"Are you going to be nice to anyone?" Kendall sighed, then surprised himself by adding his next sentences. "Because you seem like kind of a bitch, so far. Did you have a "bad experience" that turned you into a cold hearted bitch?"

"For all you know, I fucked a teacher, got expelled, had a baby and did cocaine off a toilet seat in the girls' room." Brooke snapped. "Don't sit here and call me a bitch when you don't even know my life. Maybe I'm a bitch because coming here wasn't exactly my first choice on my things to do list." Kendall instantly felt horrible at his choice of words.

"I'm sorry." he muttered as he parked the car. Brooke looked out the window and saw groups of people hovering around cars, nothing else in site. Gravel was all around and she inwardly groaned.

"Fuck you." she shot back as they got out of the car. She kept a tight grip on her lighter as Kendall led her over to a group of three teenagers. Her eyes scanned the area, looking for the particular group she'd rather be in, but not finding it. She prayed to whomever was listening that she could get through this on her own.

"Hey guys." Kendall greeted his friends. "What's up?"

"Hey Kendall!" Carlos replied. "Who's your friend?" he gestured towards the tall girl who was looking off, like she was searching and observing.

"This is Brooke, she's the girl who moved in next door." Kendall said. "Brooke, this is-"

"I'm Carlos!" Brooke jumped back a bit at the boy's hyper disposition but gave him a tiny smile.

"I'm Logan." he held out his hand and she shook it gently, The third guy, the tall brunette, moved from his position leaning against the hood of the car and sauntered over to stand in front of her.

"And I'm James Diamond." he said, his voice unnaturally husky. He gave a quirk of the eyebrow and Brooke bit her tongue to keep from laughing while keeping a bored look on her face. He took her hand from the handshake and placed a kiss on it before moving back to his spot on the hood of the car.

"I saw you all playing hockey earlier." Brooke mentioned. "You're okay."

"Okay? We're the best on the team!" Carlos said, standing in a champion pose. "You should come to our game tomorrow night! It'll be really fun! Everyone gets into it!"

"We'll see." Brooke said, before digging into her purse and pulling out a pack of cigarettes. She plucked one out of the carton and held it between her lips, bringing her lighter up to begin the slow burn of tobacco.

"You know smoking is bad for you." Logan insisted, obviously uncomfortable that he was underage and around smoking.

"So is constantly worrying. It ages you faster." Brooke smirked and looked around again. "So is this all you do? Hang out in a gravel pit? There's no alcohol or weed?"

"It's on the other side of the pit." James said, nodding his head behind him. "Can't touch the stuff. At least not until the season is over."

"And the rest of us don't do that because it's stupid." Kendall threw in. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Well, as enticing as this conversation has been, I'm going to go." she said. "I have a lot of unpacking to do. It was nice to meet you three."

"Wait, I'll walk you home." James pushed himself off the hood of the car again and smiled at Brooke. She smirked and began to walk away, him following her closely.

"I'm sorry about her." Kendall apologized to Logan and Carlos. They both shook their heads.

"Nah, I thought she was pretty nice." Carlos smiled.

"She just moved here. There might be a reason for her attitude right now." Logan rationalized. "I mean, she's new, and in the middle of the year, that's overwhelming. Anyone would put up a few walls."

Kendall shook his head. Brooke had them all fooled in the span of fifteen minutes. He needed to break her before any real trouble started, but it seemed it already had begun.

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"So, where did you move here from?" James asked as he and Brooke slowly walked away from the gravel pit towards town. He was immediately attracted to the girl, fresh meat a rare commodity in this Minnesota town. He had grown up with most of the girls he was in school with, and he was either not attracted to them, or had already dated them before.

"Indiana." Brooke answered. "I lived with my mom there."

"Your parents are divorced too?" James asked, surprised. Brooke nodded, feeling a bit comfortable around this softer side of the boy. "I'm sorry. Mine are too."

"Thanks." she flicked her cigarette and stamped it out before continuing next to the tall brunette boy. "I'm sorry about yours, too."

"It's fine. It's been a while." James gave her a smile. "They split when I was about nine or so, so I've been over it for a while."

"Mine since I was twelve, and my sister was five." Brooke sighed. "I really shouldn't be discussing this with you."

"It's fine, I don't mind." James said.

"I do." Brooke murmured as she crossed her arms over her chest. She saw a convenient store and pulled out her wallet. "Mind if we stop in? If my dad smells cigarettes on my breath, I'm done for." James nodded and pulled the door open, letting the girl inside first, then following. She went directly over to the slushie machine and pulled out a medium sized up, and filled it with red slush. James grabbed one as well and filled his cup with a blue slush, smiling at the girl who was now debating what color straw to choose, finally picking a green one and walking over the the cash register. James quickly grabbed a lid and straw and beat her there, taking out his wallet and setting down two dollars and fifty cents, the cashier thanking them.

"You didn't have to do that." Brooke said as the left the store, James holding the door again.

"I was raised that a man never lets the lady pay for herself." he insisted.

"This isn't a date." Brooke deadpanned. She walked ahead of him again, taking a sip from her cup as he caught up to her.

"I-I didn't mean that it was!" James said, nervously shaking his slushie around in the cup. "I just meant that I was trying to be polite."

"Listen, James," Brooke said, stopping a few feet from her house. "I knew a guy just like you back home. Handsome, athletic, used his charms to get what he wanted. I can see through this whole polite act. You're bored, I'm new, and it's fair game, right?" James was taken aback. He didn't figure she got all of that from a few minutes with him.

"No, I-" James cut himself off, thinking. "I am bored, and yeah, you're new and I'm interested, but I'm not that guy. I know I'm good-looking, and I know that there are a few girls around here that would call me a manwhore or something, but I'm not. And I was raised to treat ladies with respect, so sue me for paying for your drink and walking you home in a strange town."

Now it was Brooke's turn to be taken aback. She wasn't expecting him to fire back. She expected him to crumble under her scrutiny and walk home dejectedly, like any other shallow, egotistical pretty boy. She looked at James with a new view.

"I like you." she said bluntly, then continued walking again. James' eyes popped open and he looked at her quizzically. "You fought back and defended yourself. I like that. You'll be worthwhile."

"Um, okay..." James said, then smiled. "So, if we're friends now, you should come support me and the team tomorrow night at the game."

"Maybe." Brooke said, stopping just before her house. "Do I smell like smoke? In my hair, on my clothes?" she held up the sleeve of her sweater and James leaned down and took a quick sniff, doing the same to her hair.

"Nope." he smiled. "You smell good. Like apples."

"Oh thank god, it was my goal in life to smell like fruit." she smirked. "Well, thank you for walking me home, James. And thanks for the slushie." She turned and began the path up to the front door when James called out.

"Hey!" Brooke stopped and turned halfway around, smiling softly. "Don't I get your number?" Brooke smirked again.

"Only if you shoot the winning goal tomorrow night." and with that, she left him outside, entering the house.

"Hey sweetie, did you have fun?" Her father called, hearing the door shut. He appeared in the doorway to the kitchen and smiled, holding the pan he had just unpacked.

"Yeah. Kendall's friends were nice." Brooke said. "They invited me to their hockey game tomorrow night."

"Ah, good!" Luke grinned. "You should go, meet more people before you start school."

"Maybe I'll go." Brooke said. Her father gave her a stern look. "It depends on how much unpacking I get done, okay?"

"Just, be nice. And behave." Luke sighed. "This place is a good chance for you to start over. Something you can't always do. Leave what happened in Indiana behind."

"I know, Dad." Brooke murmured, her eyes downcast. "I'll try. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Brooke." he said softly. "Love you."

"Love you too." she said as she went up the stairs. She went into her room and kicked off her shoes, tossing her bag on the bed. She swiftly picked up a box and moved it to sit in front of her closet, opening the cardboard flaps and taking out her clothes, hanging up all the shirts, dresses, and skirts she had from back home. She went over to her new dressers and put her pants, bras and panties away as well, keeping out a tank top and a pair of soft, cotton shorts out to change into for bed. After setting up a few more things in her room, like pictures of her family and some of her friends from back home, she nodded, feeling a little better about the space.

Brooke began to change her clothes, taking off her cardigan and her black tank top, tossing the clothes into the hamper. She took the time to check her reflection in her floor-length mirror, adjusting her black lace bra.

Kendall Knight had just entered his bedroom, noticing a strange light filtering in through the window before he flicked the switch on his own wall. He crinkled his eyebrows in confusion and walked over to the window, and looked out it. Through the branches of the tree he saw Brooke, looking like she was studying herself in a mirror. He didn't care for the frown on her face as her fingers grazed her smooth, toned abdomen. His eyes bulged at the lacy undergarment that had been exposed, a swelling of heat in his lower stomach as she unbuttoned her jeans and shifted them down, before picking them up and tossing them away as well.

He watched as Brooke examined herself a bit more, gripping at the sides of her thighs, pinching a bit of the skin that was there, the frown more evident on her face now. She shook her head and turned grabbing her shorts and pulling them on and pulling her tank top before taking her bra off. Kendall watched as she walked out of view, and the light went off. Kendall moved from his window, not bothering to turn on the light, now his eyes were adjusted. He tore off his own shirt and kicked off his pants, leaving him in socks and boxer shorts as he climbed into his own bed. He laid on his back and stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, his mind wandering back over to the girl next door.

There was something she was hiding. Logan had mentioned walls, and Kendall felt he was right, but they weren't the type of walls suggested. These barriers weren't to keep people away and out, it was to keep something in.

And Kendall would figure out what it was and save her before she ruined herself, and his friends.

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_Reviews are love!_

_xoxo_

_k_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey all! Just thought I'd let you guys know I __**finally**__ got a tumblr! . if you guys would like to follow it! I only follow like, three people, so it'd be nice to have more!_

_Anyway, enjoy!_

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Ch. 3

Brooke spent much of the next day with her father and little sister in the local hardware store. Luke had decided to let the girls paint their rooms before they unpacked too many things. Brooke picked out an ocean green color for her wall and a silver for her ceiling. Melanie picked out a lavender for her walls, and white for the trims and ceiling. The rest of the trip was spent entertaining Melanie while their father picked out various supplies for the house.

Currently Brooke was assisting Melanie on a made-up scavenger hunt, that kept her occupied. They were looking for a rare 14 karat gold faucet, and Brooke heard her name being called. She looked down the aisle to see the shorter, dark-haired boy from the pit the previous night and tilted her head, trying to remember his name.

"Hey, Brooke." he gave her a smile. She glanced over him, his bright orange smock and his name handwritten on the tag.

"Hi Logan." she smiled as Melanie ran down the aisle a little bit. "You work here?"

"Yeah, I'm actually about to end my shift though." he answered. "I get to leave early for practice before the game tonight. Speaking of which, are you going to show?" Brooke stuck her hands in the back pockets of her shorts.

"I'm not sure. I want to get a lot of my things unpacked and out of the way, you know?" Brooke wanted to tell the slightly hopeful boy a simple and harsh no, but his lopsided smile was too friendly.

"Well, I really hope you get to come." Logan smiled. "It's really a lot of fun, and Mama Knight and Katie will be there."

"Dually noted." Brooke nodded, watching her sister run by again.

"Uh, what is she doing?" Logan asked, furrowing his brow.

"She's searching for the elusive 14 karat gold sink faucet." Brooke informed him, her sister huffing and stamping her foot before slowing down and searching more thoroughly.

"But there's no such thing." Logan pointed out. Brooke caught his eye and gave him a smirk. He smirked back and nodded. He then looked down at the watch that was strapped tightly to his left wrist and hummed. "I have to go, I'm going to be late. Please come to the game tonight. We'd really like it if you were there."

"No promises, Logan." Brooke frowned a bit. "But I'll try." Logan smiled and patted her arm before walking away, taking his smock off as he went towards the back of the store.

"Brooke! It's not here!" Melanie whined, stopping in front of her older sister and catching her breath.

"Well then, let's go find Dad and see if he's ready to go." They walked down the aisle and along the beginnings of all the others until the spotted Luke at the cash register. After helping load the materials into the back of the Jeep, they went home and Brooke helped Melanie carry her paint buckets up the stairs before grabbing hers. She set them in the corner of her room, then sighed. Her phone told her she had an hour before the hockey game started. She ran a hand through her hair, not liking how stringy it felt to her, and walked over to the bathroom, turning the water on full blast and and stripping down and stepped in.

Brooke lost herself in the shower, remember how the hot water once burned her flesh and how no matter how hard she scrubbed, she couldn't get the filth off of her. How her hair carried the scent of his cologne, no matter how many lather, rinse, repeats. How much she regretted everything she had ever done in her life. Brooke didn't notice he was crying until the water began to run cold, and her tears made warm tracks down her face.

She turned the water off, climbing out and wrapping one of the few unpacked towels around her body, and the other around her hair. She went to her closet, shifting through the choices of clothing. She picked out a grayscale wide-stripped tank top, setting it on her bed. She then went to her drawers and pulled out her grey lace undergarments, and tossed them onto the bedspread as well. From another drawer, she pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans, smiling at the slightly faded spots on the fabric. She set them down and went over to the bed, and dropped her towel, pulling on the panties and clasping the bra around her back. After adjusting it, she slipped her jeans on and pulled the top over her head, smoothing the fabric down. She looked in the mirror and smiled slightly, then went back into the bathroom, taking her hair from the towel and plugging in her blow dryer and flat iron.

After her hair was dry, and she ran the flat iron through her hair, twisting it a few inches from the end to give a soft curl, she set on her makeup. This was going to be her first appearance in the social scene of Sherwood, Minnesota, and she was going to be remembered. After using her neutral shadows, she worked on making the smoky eye effect, smiling when it came out just perfect. She applied her latte' colored lipstick and gloss and left the bathroom. The sun was starting the set, and Brooke realized she was nearly a half an hour late to the game. She shrugged to herself and stuffed her cell phone in her boho bag and put it on her shoulder.

"Going to the game, I'll see you later." she shouted as she swiped Luke's keys off the end table by the couch and pulled on her leather jacket.

"What time will you be home?" Luke called as he looked up from his unpacking of the living room.

"I don't know, depends on if there's an overtime." Brooke answered. "I'll call when I'm on my way though, okay?"

"Okay." Luke nodded. "Did you eat anything for dinner?"

"Uh, no, but I've got a few bucks, I'll just pick something up at the game. I'm sure they have popcorn or hot dogs or something. I promise" Luke studied his daughter, and her small smile, but gave in.

"Be safe and be careful." he warned gently.

"I will." Brooke left the house and climbed into the Jeep. She followed the flow of traffic towards the school, where the parking lot was nearly filled to capacity, surprising for such a tiny town. She found a parking spot and walked into the packed school, following the shouts of the crowd towards the hockey rink. She paid for her ticket and walked into the arena a bit overwhelmed as part of the crowd cheered in celebration and a loud buzzer went off She walked around, glancing down at the ice, seeing the jersey with the name KNIGHT sewn to the back gliding around the home team net, surveying the ice before him, as if getting ready to attack.

"Brooke! Brooke! Over here!" Brooke looked up to see Katie waving her arms in the air and Jennifer waving her over to their seating section more subtly. Brooke gave them a small smile and climbed the steps and sat next to the youngest Knight.

"Hi honey, so glad you could make it!" Jennifer smiled. "Do you know much about hockey." Brooke smiled a tiny bit and nodded.

"I know enough to get by with. I'm not into all the technical terms." she replied over the crowd.

"Well, right now, we're losing." Katie grumbled. "Duluth East has us by two points. If Carlos doesn't defend that goal better, I'm going down there. And James needs to get his head in the game. He keeps looking into the crowd instead of at the puck."

Brooke bit her lip to contain the smile that was insisting on crawling its way onto her face. She watched as the red and gold jerseys of the home team whizzed with the blue and white jerseys of Duluth and it made her dizzy.

"Brooke, are you okay?" Jennifer asked as the teenager shook her head slightly, willing the light-headedness to go away.

"I'm fine. Just, I haven't watched a live hockey game in a while and it's a lot to follow." she gave Mrs. Knight a sheepish smile.

"I get what you mean." Jennifer smiled. She was going to say something else, but was interrupted by Katie standing up and yelling.

"James! What are you doing?! Stop looking here and start watching the puck!" Brooke directed her attention towards the rink, where the tallest boy on the ice was grinning up at her. She allowed a small smirk to grace her features and gave him a quirk of her eyebrow. He got knocked into by Logan, and did a double take, finally getting back in the game, and skating after his teammates and the puck. "There you go! Get the lead out!" Katie sat back down and shoved her hand into a bag of popcorn, then stuffed the handful in her mouth, shaking her head. Brooke giggled at the young girl, admiring her spunk and competitiveness.

The crowd suddenly cheered and the home team side rose to its feet, cheering loudly as the buzzer went off.

"YES!" Katie screamed, jumping up and down. "Finally!" Brooke stood and watched Kendall do a quick victory hug with James, who assisted, then regroup himself for the rest of the game.

The game was over quicker than Brooke had expected. She watched as the teams battled, and fought over the coming victory once the game was tied. She watched as James fought his hardest for the puck, and was only thwarted when his only option was to pass it to Logan, who scored the winning goal of the night. James kept a smile on his face as he glanced back towards Brooke and the Knights. She gave him a small smile in return, and lifted her hand in slight greeting. His smile grew bigger and she turned, following the Knight's out to the lobby, and waited for the players to come out in victory. After nearly twenty minutes, cheers broke out from a door off from the lobby and the Sherwood team came out, their jerseys now baggy, missing the padding underneath, and paired with jeans and sneakers instead of pads and skates. The four boys Brooke knew made their way over, stopping at their families first.

"Hey mom." Kendall grinned, giving his mother a quick peck on the cheek. He turned and saw Brooke standing on the other side of Jennifer and nodded his head. "Brooke. Glad you could make it."

"Good game." she replied, giving him a nod in return.

"Did you guys see how awesome that game was at the end?!" Carlos ran over, his grin wild and adrenaline filled.

"Yeah, but if you don't start sticking to the goal, I'm going to show you where you can put the puck from now on." Katie scolded. The Latino boy's smile faltered a bit, but he just reached out and ruffled the ten year old's hair and plastered his grin back on. Logan had made his way over now, and gave a gracious smile to Brooke, happy she listened to him and came to the game.

James smiled softly as he joined the group, standing next to Brooke. He took her by the arm gently and pulled her away from group.

"I didn't score the winning goal." he stated. Brooke gave him a small smile and reached out, tracing the C on the front of his jersey.

"Lucky for you," she began softly. "I have a thing for boys who captain hockey teams." James smiled an pulled his phone from his pocket and she took it, adding her number into it quickly before placing it back into his hands. He put it back into his pocket and they moved back to the group. Kendall watched as James put his hand on Brooke's back, guiding her back to them, and he felt irritation scratch just under the surface of his skin.

"So, are you all going to come back to our house for the usual?" Jennifer asked the group. The boys all nodded. "Brooke, you're more than welcome to join us."

"Yeah! There's going to movies and snacks and we always have a good time." Carlos interjected, giving the girl a hopeful look.

"You really should give it a shot." James said, smiling down at her.

"Sure. Why not?" she said quietly. Brooke immediately regretted her answer and followed the guys to the parking lot, James' hand still resting gently on the small of her back as they maneuvered through the slowly dissipating crowd.

"Can I catch a ride with you?" James asked. Brooke nodded and unlocked the Jeep, allowing James to throw his hockey bag in the backseat and climb into the passenger side. Brooke started the car and carefully backed out of her spot and drove out of the school's parking lot.

"Did you enjoy the game?" James asked, studying Brooke's face as she drove. She glanced over at him and gave him a soft smile.

"I did, actually." Brooke admitted, finding it easy to tell her true feelings around the tall boy. "You guys play a great game when there's more than four of you."

"I'm really glad you decided to come." he said softly. "I..Logan told me you were still unsure, and it psyched me out. Then I saw you there, and I played like I used to."

"So I'm your good luck charm now?" Brooke joked. James chuckled and ran a hand through his messy and damp hair.

"Maybe. You'll just have to come to next game and see if we win then too."

"Well, I accept your challenge." Brooke smirked, pulling into her driveway. James smiled at her and unbuckled his seatbelt, but didn't make a move to leave the car.

"You and I should hang out tomorrow." he stated. Brooke shook her head and sighed.

"I have to get things together to paint tomorrow." she informed him, watching as the Knight's pulled up and Logan's car did the same behind them.

"Paint? Like paint your room, or are you an artist?" James asked.

"Paint my room." Brooke answered, jingling her keys. "I don't have an artistic bone in my body. I wish I did."

"Well, maybe the guys and I could help you. It'd take you forever to paint an entire room by yourself." James offered, then moved to get out of the car. Brooke copied his actions, waiting for him to come around to her side. "It'll be fun. I'm sure the guys wouldn't mind."

"I don't know, James." Brooke shrugged. She followed him up to the Knights' home and walked inside. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and typed out a quick text to her father, telling him she was next door and would be home soon. She didn't wait for a reply as she followed the tall brunette down a hallway and through a door, down to what seemed to be a rec room. There was a pool table and football table on the one said, and a couch, large TV, an armchair and a few bean bags on the other. Carlos was splayed over a beanbag chair, the remote in his hand. Kendall sat in the armchair, watching the channels click by. James took a seat on the couch, Brooke sitting next to him as Logan sat on the floor in front, resting his back against the object, his legs folding under the coffee table in front of him.

"So...you guys just sit here and stew in your sweat all night?" Brooke asked after a few quiet moments.

"We usually eat before we take turns showering." Logan explained. Brooke nodded and gave the boy a soft smile of understanding. As if on cue, Jennifer and Katie came down the steps, carrying two trays filled with food. Brooke recoiled slightly as the boys lunged for the food. Jennifer went over to a closet and brought out red cups and two liters of pop, setting those out as well. She smiled at the boys, but faltered at the girl who seemed to be forcing her eyes on the cartoons dancing across the screen instead of the food in front of her. She saw Logan hand her a sandwich and her smile was replaced as soon as she took a bite of it.

Brooke let her hunger take over for the moment, knowing if she didn't eat anything at all, the boys would surely notice. After half an hour of the boys continuously eating, James cleared his throat.

"I call first shower!" he stated, jumping up from the couch and moving towards the back of the rec room.

"Dude, it's my house,when am I going to get first shower?" Kendall whined. James had opened another closet and now held a fluffy beige towel in his arms.

"When you're prettier than me." James smirked, closing the bathroom door with a slight slam. There were a few moments of quiet, and Brooke picked at the fabric of the brown couch, waiting for the boys to start a recap of the game that she could space out during, but no such conversation happened.

"So Brooke, Kendall says you went to a private school." Logan said, turning to face her. "What was it like?"

"Were there any hot babes?" Carlos added, flipping over on the bean bag to look at Brooke. Kendall rolled his eyes and looked over at Brooke, also waiting for an answer.

"School was school really. I don't have anything to really compare it to." she said. "We wore uniforms and it was okay, I guess. And Carlos, I'm sure there were hot babes there. I didn't notice."

"But you're a hot babe, so were your friends cute?" Carlos implored.

"I-..." Brooke trailed off. Her friends. She had forgotten about them. It's not like she had any left anyways. "They were pretty, I guess. The guys were good-looking..."

"How was the learning, was it good?" Logan asked. Brooke smiled at his attempt to hide his eagerness.

"It was a bit more advanced, maybe? We covered a lot of things that weren't in textbooks, so I'm not sure what that means.." Brooke told him. Logan smiled, and nodded his head.

"Was it fun in Indiana?" Kendall asked quietly. Brooke's eyes found his and stared for a moment.

"We made our own fun." she answered after a short pause, her words weighing more heavily than she imagined they would.

"So basically keggers in fields getting busted by cops?" Kendall asked, raising an eyebrow. Brooke quickly nodded.

"Yeah. A lot of those." she cleared her throat. "I think I'm going to go upstairs and get some ice water." she got off the couch and went up the stairs quickly, going down the hallway and making it to the empty kitchen, where she braced herself on counter as memories flooded back in.

_ "You know, Brooke, your grades are impeccable." Mr. Jenkins said. Brooke smiled and blushed at the teacher's praise. "But I see your community service hours for this year aren't anywhere near where they should be."_

_ "Well, I've been busy, and I'm volunteering weekends at the animal shelter in town, starting Saturday morning." Brooke stood up as the warning bell rang, and students began running to their classes. _

_ "Good, good." Mr. Jenkins patted her on the shoulder, leaving his hand there as they walked to the door. "Make sure you get those hours in, I don't want to see someone as bright as you falling behind a few steps."_

_ "I will, sir, thanks." Brooke grinned and left, her usual bounce in her step quickened as she hurried to her next class. _

_ "Well, hello Brooke." Brittany smirked. Brooke smiled at her friend and sat in the seat next to her. "I saw you and Mr, Jenkins looking awfully chatty."_

_ "He was worried that I'm not going to pass through to next year because my community service hours are too low, but I told him about the animal shelter deal and he said it was fine." Brooke explained, taking a pen out of her shoulder bag and opening her notebook._

_ "Remember how we were saying we were bored with our lives in this stupid town?" Brittany asked. Brooke nodded, looking to her. "Well, you just gave me an idea."_

_ "Volunteering at the animal shelter?" Brooke scoffed._

_ "No, I think Mr. Jenkins had a bit of a crush on you. And you can't deny that you think he's good looking. He's only thirty. I say we test him. You should start flirting with him, you know. Batting your eyes and pouting your lips. Leave a few buttons undone and pull up your skirt a bit higher." Brittany whispered, peering around the room to ensure no one heard her._

_ "No, that's stupid." Brooke shook her head._

_ "You don't have the guts." Brittany said. "I'll give you a day to think about it. You can tell me your decision at lunch tomorrow. Speaking of, eat a salad instead of a sandwich tomorrow, your thighs are starting to look huge."_

"Brooke?" Kendall saw the girl hunched over counter and placed a soothing hand on her back. She immediately straightened and jumped, spinning to face him. Her face was streaked with tear tracks and her makeup was smudging under her eyes. Kendall didn't think when he reached out and wiped away the tracks with his thumbs, and leaned over and grabbed a paper towel, gesturing to her eyes. She took the rough material and gently dabbed at her eyes, looking at the brown and black makeup on the towel before crumpling it in her hand.

"Are you okay?" Kendall asked. "We didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm fine." Brooke replied quickly, taking a shaky breath in. She was fighting the blush that wanted to rise to her cheeks from Kendall's concern.

"Do you still want that water?" Brooke nodded, and Kendall gave her a sad smile, moving around her and the counter to a cupboard and bringing down a glass. He went to the fridge and opened the freezer door, shoveling ice into the glass before heading to the sink and filling it with water. He handed the glass to Brooke, you held it with both her hands hesitantly.

"Thanks." she whispered. She followed him back down to the basement and took her spot back on the couch, James' freshly washed and clothed body next to her, Logan nowhere to be seen.

"Hey." James smiled at her. Brooke gave him a small smile back and took a sip of her water, setting the glass on the table, on top of a napkin. "So, about painting tomorrow..."

"Painting? What are we painting?" Carlos asked, his adrenaline starting to lower.

"I wanted Brooke to hang out, but she wanted to get her room painted." James explained as the girl settled back into her persona. "So I kinda volunteered us to help her."

"To which I politely declined." Brooke muttered.

"I don't mind. I love art!" Carlos smiled.

"I'll help too." Kendall nodded.

"Help with what?" Logan asked, walking out of the bathroom in pajama pants and a t-shirt, rubbing a towel against his dark hair.

"Painting Brooke's room." Carlos looked up at his friend.

"I have a shift at the hardware store in the morning, but I'd be glad to stop by and help later." Logan smiled.

"Then it's settled." James smiled down at Brooke and put his arm around her shoulders. Brooke gave him a smirk and settled into her seat.

Kendall felt the irritation again and got up to go take his shower, Carlos having not moved yet. He really didn't know what was so special or strange about Brooke, that he was so irritated with James and her becoming friends, but he wasn't going to wait long to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

**So, I realized that links don't exactly work on here, so the link to my tumblr is on my profile! Check it out and follow, if you'd like!**

* * *

Ch. 4

Brooke woke up pressed against an unusual warmth. She looked down to see James asleep underneath her, the couch making their bodies form the position. His arm was around her body, his large hand resting on her stomach gently. Brooke broke into a smile and let herself enjoy the warmth for a few more moments before she moved slowly, moving out from under his arm and off the couch. Peeking out the window of the basement, she saw the sky was still dark and she patted her pocket, noting her cell phone was still there, and grabbed her bag headed towards the stairs.

She made it through the kitchen and left through the back door, moving from their lawn to her own, before pulling her keys out of her bag and unlocking the door as quietly as she could. She shut and locked the door behind her and moved towards the stairs, noting the lag in her body as she climbed them. After making it to her room, she tossed her bag in the corner and took off her shoes and jeans, and crawled into her bed.

The moment her head hit the pillow, Brooke's mind was frenzied. She couldn't let herself go back to her memories. She shouldn't have talked to the boys at all about her old life at her old school. Anger boiled up in her as she thought about Kendall's questioning gaze, asking her about her fun. What happened wasn't her idea of fun. Kendall made her remember her past, Kendall made her blush, Kendall made her feel the way she felt before all of it happened. She needed to keep Kendall out. She knew he could see through her, and that was dangerous for her. Her family moved to keep her sane, keep her healthy. If Kendall dug up her past, it would be detrimental to all of them.

Brooke took a deep breath and rolled over, catching a whiff of an unfamiliar scent. She leaned up and sniffed he side of her tank top, and noticed it smelled the body wash James had used at Kendall's. A small smile appeared on her face, thinking about the tall brunette. He had the opposite effect on Brooke. He didn't see through her. He was content with what she showed him. He allowed her to feel safe and sane, and she liked that. And it didn't hurt that he was exceptionally good-looking. Brooke laid back down and felt calm now. James was a good distraction from the reason. She smiled again and pulled the comforter up around her shoulders before turning over and closing her eyes, completely distracted for the night.

* * *

"Carlos, please be careful. I don't want to clean paint out of my hair." Brooke laughed as Carlos rolled his paint roller in the pan, a bit haphazardly. He and Kendall were working on the ceiling while Brooke and James were starting on the walls.

"I won't get any in your hair, Brookie." Carlos said. Brooke rolled her eyes playfully, secretly liking the fact that he had picked up her nickname from her little sister. They were all dressed in baggy, faded shirts and old pants or shorts, the window open to let the paint fumes out and the fresh air in.

"I really like this color." James mused, smiling at Brooke. She smiled back and lifted her roller to the wall, continuing to paint.

"Oh, really?" Brooke smirked. She made a move to put more paint on the roller, and instead rolled it against James' tan arm. He let out a less than manly shriek and stared down at the turquoise coating on his arm. He smirked and took a smaller paintbrush, swiping the color against her cheek. She laughed and reached for the brush, his arm looping around her waist to hold her steady as he kept the other out of reach, holding the paintbrush above their heads.

"No, no more paint on me." James smirked. He squealed again when Carlos came from behind and rolled silver paint onto the backs of his legs. "Oh that's it."

Over the course of the next fifteen minutes, the four teenagers were covered in splotches of paint from head to toe. Handprints adorned many articles of clothing on the quartet and Brooke laughed as she smacked Carlos' rear, leaving a blue-green print behind. She turned around and bumped into James, who wrapped his arms around her frame to keep her there.

"Oh, you know you've got some paint, right there." He said, bringing up his messy hand to add a blot to her nose. Brooke giggled and brought up her own hand.

"Yes, well you've got quite the large marking here." she smiled as she patted his cheek. He grinned and stared down at her, their eyes locked for a few moments.

"What on earth is happening?!" all heads snapped to the door, where Logan stood, clutching the doorframe. "We were going to paint the room, not each other!"

"Well, Brooke was being sassy." James said as he let go of the girl to stand beside her.

"James said he really like the color, and I thought it'd suit his complexion." Brooke defended simply.

"And I just wanted to mess up James' hair." Kendall added with a dimpled smirk. Logan looked between the four guilty smirks and grinned.

"Well, let's get back to work." Logan picked up the spare paint roller and got to work, everyone dispersing to their previous tasks. Brooke stole a glance at James, who was smiling to himself as he ran his roller up and down the wall neatly. She bit her lip and smiled to herself as well, joining him on the wall.

Kendall bit the inside of his cheek, fighting his frown. The way James had held onto Brooke throughout the paint fight made his stomach knot. She'd only been here for three days, and she had already fallen under the pretty boy's spell. And he had fallen for the persona of the hidden girl. It made his stomach sick to know that his best friends were being lied to, and that they just took it. He dipped his paint brush into the bucket of silver and brought it back up to the trim of the door. He listened to the squeaks of the rollers, the scratches of the paintbrush fibers against the wood, and the crinkling of the floor protector sheets as feet shuffled.

"Hey kids, I was thinking of ordering a few pizzas for dinner, what do you think?" Luke walked in, holding his phone in one hand and looking at the local pizzeria menu. He looked up and his jaw dropped. "Well, I see how I can trust a few seventeen year olds to paint a room and not each other."

"Sorry Dad." Brooke said. "It just sort of happened."

"Because someone was being sassy." James muttered, smirking at her.

"I'll shave you bald." Brooke threatened playfully, tugging at a lock if his coffee brown hair.

"Pizza sounds great, Mr. Montgomery!" Carlos said, cutting off the feuding two. "I'm not picky at all!"

"Well, what do you guys want on yours?" Luke asked.

"Cheese." Brooke said simply.

"Pepperoni?" Logan suggested. Everyone nodded and her dad smiled.

"Alright, I'll call you down when it's here. And please, you guys can call me Luke."

"Okay, Luke!" Carlos waved as her dad left and everyone laughed at the boy.

"We should probably wash up a bit, then." Logan said.

"There's a bathroom down the hall, and there's a bathroom in here." Brooke pointed out. After each of them taking turns to scrub the paint off their hands and faces, they were called downstairs. Brooke took a deep breath as she walked down the stairs in between James and Kendall.

_"Eat. It's fine. The boys won't judge you for a few slices of pizza."_ her mind told her. _"Or you could gain twenty pound and binge."_ The little voice in her head began. It sounded just as nasty and bitchy as Brittany did.

"Brooke, you coming?" Carlos asked. Brooke blinked. She hadn't realized she stopped walking.

"Yeah, sorry." she smiled. "Got caught up in my thoughts." Carlos nodded with a grin as Kendall came out holding two boxes of pizza.

"Your dad said we could eat in the den." he said, leading the way down the hall. Everyone followed, Logan carrying a small stack of paper plates with a smaller stack of napkins on top.

"You okay?" James asked, looking down at her with concern lacing his features. Brooke smiled up at him.

"I'm fine. I promise." she moved her hand to clasp his, giving it a quick squeeze before letting it go, and entering the den. She sat on the floor, her back resting against the small love seat, and James followed her lead. Kendall held back a scoff, wishing his friend could see what a puppy dog he was being for the girl. After setting down the pizza boxes, he sat down across from them, on the other side of the coffee table. Logan handed out plates and napkins, and everyone helped themselves to a slice of pizza or two, or four, in Carlos' case.

"So are you starting school tomorrow, Brooke?" Logan asked curiously before taking a bite of his pizza.

"Tuesday." she shook her head. "Tomorrow we're going to spend the morning unpacking, and I still have to go do some last minute things at the school."

"I think you'll really like it here. Everyone is super nice." Carlos grinned. Brooke smiled back. She had to admit, these boys weren't as bad as she had originally thought. With the exception of Kendall, none of them bugged her, or made her feel like she was becoming her old self.

"Well, we'll see." Brooke replied, taking a bite of her own slice of pizza. The guilt she felt with the grease and the cheese sitting on her tongue as she chewed knotted her stomach. She swallowed and set her plate down, wiping her hands on her napkin. "So what goes on during the school year? Any good parties?"

"Party girl?" James smirked. "We'll get along nicely."

"James is really the only one that parties." Kendall said. "I occasionally go, as does Carlos."

"I went to one got vomited on by the captain of the baseball team, and swore to never attend one again." Logan said, pulling a face at the memory.

"But there's usually a few good bonfires around this time. There's the dance, and that's about it." Carlos said, starting another slice of pizza. "We'll take you to a few, don't worry."

"Thanks Carlos." Brooke smiled. "And I suppose I can give up my Friday nights for hockey games."

"Really?" James asked. Brooke nodded and then laughed. She grabbed a clean napkin off the table and leaned over, grabbing James' chin.

"You've got sauce on your face." she said, dabbing at the tiny glob. She then crinkled the napkin and set it back on the table as James blushed. Kendall suppressed the growl in his chest, angrily chomping his pizza. The fool was in over his head, and he didn't want to pick up the pieces Brooke would leave behind. James had never blushed in front of a girl before.

"So are you going to try out for anything?" James asked, clearing his throat before taking another bite of pizza. "Like a sports team or something?"

"I don't know.." Brooke shrugged. "I was thinking about volleyball, but I've never really played as a sport, mostly just for fun with friends."

"I think it'd be good. Tryouts are in a few weeks, so why not?" Logan smiled. "You're probably really good."

"Thanks, Logan." Brooke smiled, picking up her pizza again. "Do any of you guys do anything other than hockey?"

"Well uh, we're in choir, and James and I run track in the spring." Logan answered.

"I'm in wrestling." Carlos added, flexing his arm to show his muscles. Brooke giggled and looked to Kendall.

"And you?"

"I only play hockey. I'm not serious about any other sport."

"Really? You've got the build to be a good hitter in baseball." Brooke said, picking the rest of the cheese off her pizza and eating it.

"Nah, not for me." Kendall shook his head. "I just stick with hockey." Brooke nodded and set her bare pizza down on the table and pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Thanks for helping, you guys." she said after a few moments of silence. "I appreciate it."

"It's no problem, Brooke." Carlos grinned. "If you want, with the left over silver, I can put some designs on the walls for you."

"That'd be really great, Carlos." Brooke smiled. Carlos' grin got impossibly bigger and everyone laughed.

"Kids! Time to clean up!" Luke called down the hall. At this, they all groaned and began standing up, gathering the trash and putting the leftover pizza into one box and carrying the empty one into the kitchen. After cleaning the mess from dinner, they piled back upstairs, finishing the painting by nine. Logan and Carlos left first, both giving Brooke a small (or in Carlos' case, enthusiastic) hug before departing. James departed a few minutes later, a kiss on the hand his gesture. Finally it was just Brooke and Kendall, who was finishing taking down the tape.

"You don't have to do that." Brooke mentioned. "I can get that later."

"It's fine." Kendall waved it off, crumpling the blue tape into a ball and climbing down the ladder. He took a breath and turned to face the girl. "Look, I don't know what's going on between you and James, but stop." Brooke looked up at him, furrowing her brow.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Oh like you don't know. You've been here three days and he's already head over heels for you." Kendall insisted. "And you're stringing him along."

"Who are you to say what I'm doing?" Brooke snapped. "Maybe I like James. Maybe I don't want to start anything just yet because, like you said, I've only been here for a few days. Where do you come off, Kendall? Why do you think that because you're the first person I've met, you know me more than I know myself?"

Kendall kept quiet, the resentment of her being right plastered all over his face. His hand clutched the tape ball and he sighed.

"You're hiding." he said. "You're hiding something from us all."

"Don't." Brooke whispered. "Kendall, don't." she stood up, walking over to him. "My past, is exactly that. Mine. It's none of your business. Accept it."

"You can't hide things forever."

"Some things should be hidden forever, Kendall." Brooke stared into his eyes. "Please go home now. I'm tired and I need to wash all this paint out of my hair."

"Fine." Kendall tossed the tape into her trashcan and paused before he left, turning to look at her over his shoulder. "Eat something before you go to bed. You're going to have to keep your energy up if you're going to tryout for volleyball." he left without another word and left Brooke standing there, wide-eyed.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

Brooke sat in the lunch room of Sherwood High, picking at her cheese quesadilla that was over-grilled. She'd been at the school a month already and had established her place in the social hierarchy. Being seen with James Diamond following her around, and associating with the best of the hockey team, she was thrown into the popular circuit. She had tried out for volleyball and made the team. The guys came to her first game, and cheered her on, taking her out for ice cream after her team had won.

"Hey Brooke." Logan smiled as he set his lunch tray down across from her. "How's it going?"

"Hey Logan." she smiled back. "It's going like a day in hell." Logan chuckled and shook his head, sitting down and opening his fruit water and taking a sip. A few kids passed the table, and waved, Brooke and Logan waving back. James sat down next to her, and Kendall across from him.

"Brooke, what are you doing tonight?" James asked, biting the tip of a french fry off. Brooke felt Kendall's gaze on her and she looked up, taking a bite of her quesadilla before chewing and responding.

"I've got practice until five, and then nothing but homework." she answered, looking at the tall boy. "Why?"

"Well, I need help with history, and I thought maybe you could help me." James shrugged. Brooke gave him a look. "No, I'm serious. I need the help. This whole, French Revolution bullshit isn't sticking, and I need to pass the test tomorrow or I'm off the team for the rest of the season."

"Fine." Brooke nodded. Carlos came over to the table, sitting on the other side of Brooke with his tray full of food. She grinned as he wrapped an arm around her in his usual midday hug and bit into his chicken sandwich. "Hello Carlos."

"Hello Brooke. How is your day?" he asked after chewing and swallowing his food.

"Significantly better now that you're here." she winked and took another bite of her lunch. Carlos did a little dance int his seat and shoved more food in his mouth. Carlos and Brooke had become close once she began school, from the moment she stepped in late to homeroom. He was the only person she recognized, and he waved her over to sit next to him, telling her he had made sure a seat was open in case she was in his class. He then spent homeroom explaining to her how to get to all her other classes, pointing out which classes had the others in it. He was overly delighted when he found out she had requested to be put into their choir period.

"When's your next game?" Kendall asked, wiping his hands on his jeans. Brooke bit her lip and thought.

"I think this Friday." she answered, taking a sip of her water. "Are you guys coming?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." James smiled. Brooke smiled up at him and bit her lip again. Kendall cleared his throat and coughed, and the two broke their gaze, focusing back on their food.

Since their spat in her bedroom the night of the painting, Kendall had made it his job to keep James and Brooke at an arms length from each other whenever he could. He didn't want James cracking the code to her secrets before he did. He also didn't want her to hurt James.

Everyone finished their lunches and headed out to the hallway, walking around before heading to choir. Brooke noticed the student council taping up flyers an stopped to read one.

"The Fall Ball?" she said, amused at the cliched name.

"We have it every year." Logan explained. "It's kind of like our homecoming dance, except a bit later in the year. "

"I've never been to a dance." Brooke mused beginning to walk away.

"You've never been to a dance?!" Carlos asked, his eyebrows crinkled at the ridiculousness of the statement. "But you're hot!"

"Carlos, I went to a Catholic private school." Brooke laughed. "Dances were canceled in 1997 there because of a few rowdy boys and slutty girls. Ergo, I've never been to a dance."

"Then you have to go to this one." Carlos suggested. "It'll be so much fun! We'll all go!"

"Carlos, it's three weeks away. Let me think about it." Brooke laughed. Carlos was talking excitedly about dances now, and what girls he'd want to ask, and pulled Brooke down the hall with him, in front of the other boys. Logan, James and Kendall walked in a line, watching them.

"You know, we really should get him some ritalin or something." Logan mused, watching Brooke rub her arm after Carlos nearly pulled it out of its socket.

"I think I'm going to ask Brooke to the dance." James replied, nodding his head. Logan and Kendall looked at him, Kendall stopping in his tracks.

"Why?"

"Why not?" James shrugged, stopping and facing him. "She's pretty, she's smart, and she likes me."

"She's a bitch!" Kendall said, staring at James like he grew another head. James' expression darkened, and Logan raised an eyebrow at Kendall's prompt conclusion.

"Kendall, you're my best friend, and I love you, but if you say anything about Brooke again, I will take you down." James said, a growl in his voice. "She's a great girl, and just because she doesn't care for you doesn't mean she's a bitch. You're being a dick right now, but that doesn't mean you're always one."

"He's right Kendall." Logan nodded. "That was really a rude presumption."

"I'm sorry, but you guys don't get the shit I do from her." Kendall defended.

"Kendall, your problem is that you're trying to lead everyone. You're a leader, and she's a leader. It's just a mashing of similar personalities and it's not working." Logan shrugged. "She doesn't want to be lead, and she's still pretty new. A month is hardly time enough to adjust."

"Whatever, I'm done with this conversation. As far as I'm concerned, we've never had it." James said, continuing to walk down the hall and into the choir room. Kendall and Logan followed and saw him sit on the other side of Brooke, who was talking fast with Carlos, who was bent over a sketchbook, his hand moving rapidly around the page.

"What are you guys doing?" Logan asked as he sat in front of them, turning to see the book.

"Carlos is going to ask Maddie Sinclair to the dance." Brooke said. "No, make it more swishy!"

"How do you draw swishy?!" Carlos asked, looking at her with a serious face.

"I don't know! Just do it!" Brooke giggled. James rested his arm on the back of her chair, his hand resting on her back as he leaned over to see the drawing.

"So you're drawing a dress?" James asked, quirking an eyebrow. Brooke giggled again and looked at him.

"He wanted to think of a way to ask her, and I said to use his drawing talents, and then he was going to draw her, and I said no, that's kinda creepy. So then, I thought maybe he could make it like an invitation, and draw a nice dress and a suit that look like they're dancing and write 'Will you go to the dance with me?' at the top and bottom of it." Brooke explained.

"That's actually a great idea." Logan smiled. "Maybe you should be a designer or something when you get older."

"Nah." Brooke shook her head. "I only have like, one good idea a year. Besides, I have other aspirations."

"Such as?" James asked. Brooke gave him a smirk.

"I'll never tell. You'll just have to wait and find out." she winked. "What are yours?"

"I'm going to be famous." James smirked back. "I'm going to be a singer, an actor, and marry a hot model."

"Mm, good luck with that, sparky." Brooke patted his toned stomach. "What about you, Logan?"

"I want to be a doctor." he smiled, thinking to himself for a moment. "I want to help people. Not all dramatically, like the ones on TV, but even if I just stick a bandaid on a toddler, and it makes them feel better, I'd be happy."

"Logan, that's really sweet." she smiled. "I think you'll make a great doctor one day. How about you Senor Garcia?"

"I don't know, something fun!" Carlos looked up quickly, flashing her a grin, then went back to drawing.

"And let me guess, Kendall wants nothing more than to be a hockey player, living in Minnesota forever." Brooke smirked, looking straight at the blonde. He smirked back.

"I might go to the Maple Leaves, you never know." he shot back. Brooke quirked an eyebrow and settled back into her chair, James' arm finding it's new place around her shoulders as the rest of the class filed in, and the period began. Kendall stood beside Logan during practice. In between songs, he could hear James, Carlos and Brooke whispering to each other softly, chuckles and giggles breaking out. He felt like she was stealing his friends from him, even though he knew it'd never really happen.

"James Diamond, Carlos Garcia and Brooke Montgomery, are you working on a three-part harmony or discussing trivial gossip in my choir class?" Mrs. Peachbaum's voice made the three jump.

"We were discussing the notes of the last bar of this song. Don't you think it'd sound better just an octave higher?" Brooke said, not flinching a muscle as she gave the teacher a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Well why don't you three try it out for the rest of the class then?" Brooke stood up, James smirking and following, Carlos more hesitantly.

"Fine."

The three of the them sang the last verse a cappella, up an octave, in a perfect harmony.

"See? This song is supposed to be sad and sweet, but the ending is meant for a more upbeat harmony like the musical it's taken from demands. It's the defining moment of the lead roles when they realize that they're in love, and they can make they're going to make their relationship work no matter what the stakes." Brooke said after cutting off the notes.

"Yes...well...thank you. You three may sit down." Brooke smiled and took her seat, crossing her legs and resting her hands in her lap. The rest of the day went by fast, Brooke bored out of her mind in the classes, even with Logan in math and James in history with her. The bell finally rang and everyone packed up their stuff.

"Come to the lunch room with me? I want to grab a sports drink or something before practice." Brooke looked to James who nodded. They walked to their lockers first, putting away books, Brooke making sure he grabbed his history book. As they walked to the lunchroom, they talked quietly.

"So are you going to practice extra hard today because I'm going to be watching?" James joked, leaning down and putting his arm around her waist. She smirked up at him.

"No, but you're going to be studying extra hard while I practice." Brooke said, handing him an extra worksheet she took off the teacher's desk. "You're going to do these questions, and when practice is over, I'll check them. If I see your eyes on any of the girls, you're walking home, AND you'll have to write an essay on Napoleon Bonaparte."

"Well, what if my eyes are on you?" James asked as she put money in a vending machine and selected her option before bending over and getting the bottle and her change.

"Then you'll just have to study me." she winked and walked past him towards the gym doors. James blushed and then got himself together before rushing to catch up with her. "I have to go to the locker room and change, I'll talk to you later. Sit there and please do some work."

"I'll try." James winked as Brooke walked off. He bit his lip, noticing her usual swing of the hips. He hadn't been this attracted to a girl before, and no one had ever made him blush. She didn't swoon over his good looks, in fact, she rarely mentioned them. She made him laugh, which was good, and she wasn't afraid of flirting back or telling him he was being vain or stupid. She wasn't afraid of losing him, like other girls were.

_'Well that's because she's not even yours, stupid.'_ James thought. He shook his head and opened his history book, looking over the sheet Brooke had given him. She didn't cling to him, she didn't constantly praise him. She was the opposite of every girl he'd gone out with, and he had to admit, it was refreshing. The gym doors opened and the girls volleyball team came out, Brooke laughing and smiling, talking with Nicole Tortuga, who was captain of the team and one of Brooke's closer girl friends. Both girls kept talking as they lead the team through stretches, and James smiled whenever Brooke would laugh, something she didn't really do a lot of around the guys, unless Kendall was absent.

The girls split into practice teams as the coaches came in and explained the drill. Brooke looked up and caught eyes with James, sending him a slight glare and pointing to the book in his lap. He just smiled and winked at her before she got into place and turned her back to him. He thanked any deity that would listen for the place he chose in the risers. Brooke's perfect behind was facing him as she held the ball, getting ready to set it. The match started and James found it hard to concentrate on history whenever Brooke would move. Especially when her shirt rode up as she spiked the volleyball down to the other side with a sharp slap.

"So, are you and James Diamond a thing or not?" Nicole asked during a quick break, while the coaches were fixing the other team. Brooke shrugged, crossing her right arm over her chest and bringing her other over it, stretching the muscles.

"We're not really a thing, but we kind of act like one..." she answered the blonde girl. "I'd say at best, we're an enigma." she switched arms.

"Well do you want to be with him?" Nicole asked, placing a hand on her hip. "He stares at you all the time, and he doesn't usually wait a month to be with a girl he thinks is hot."

"Well maybe I'm not hot." Brooke shrugged.

"You know that's bullshit, you're a hot bitch." Nicole laughed, making Brooke crack a smile. "No, I think he's really got a thing for you."

"What, his hard on?" Brooke scoffed. They both laughed and Brooke glanced over to the stands, where James' head snapped down quickly, and he pretended to sift through the pages of his history textbook. She smirked to herself and faced Nicole again. "I just, I don't know. I've only been here a month.."

"And?" Nicole rolled her eyes. "When I moved here, I had two boyfriends in three weeks."

"Yeah, but you're a slut." Brooke giggled as the other girl pushed her over a bit.

"I know, but it's not going to hurt you to try and date."

"Maybe. We'll see." Brooke shrugged as the whistle blew and they re-started their match.

* * *

"How are you doing on that homework?" Brooke asked, looking over to James, where he sat at his desk in his bedroom. She was lying on his bed on her stomach, flipping through his sports magazines, having finished her own homework half an hour ago.

"Nearly finished." he replied, his pen scribbling furiously.

"You're lucky I'm nice and didn't make you write that essay." she murmured. James put his pen down and turned in his chair.

"Yeah, but I wasn't staring at the other girls." James said. "So you really should keep true to your word." he stood up and walked over to the bed, where Brooke was now sitting up, kneeling to be close to eye-level with him as he stood over her.

"Are you sure you'd really want to study me?" she asked softly, looking up at him through her lashes. "I mean, I haven't showered from volleyball yet, and-" James cut her off, placing his lips onto hers. He pulled away a few moments later, and looked Brooke in the eyes.

"I've never wanted to study anything more." he whispered, and closed the gap between them again, his hands fisting in her long hair as he brought his body closer to her. His tongue skimmed her bottom lip, begging for entrance. She teased him a bit, only letting him in a little, before finally allowing him access to explore. She moved back on his bed, and leaned back, him following until she was laying down and he was on top of her, between her legs. She had kept her shorts on from practice, and her tank top, feeling too warm to change into jeans and a sweater. James ran his hand up her smooth, tan legs, stopping just below the hem of her shorts.

"James.." Brooke moaned as he kissed and licked at her neck. He bit down on her pressure point and sucked, making her arch her body into his. "Shit, James."

"Brooke, you're so fucking beautiful." James sighed, pulling away to look at her. "You make me crazy."

"Noted." Brooke smirked and brought his lips to hers again, her hands sneaking under his shirt to rest on his abs. "Nice work."

"I do my best." James smirked back. The heat in the room had gone down a bit between kisses, now turning into a few lustful smooches between breaths.

"You should probably get back to work." Brooke finally mentioned. James frowned, furrowing his eyebrows disapprovingly. "Well, I let you have a snack, now back to work." she leaned over and kissed his lips heatedly, pecking them a few times before fully pulling away. James groaned and got off the bed, going back to his desk. Brooke settled back against the headboard of his king sized bed, relaxing against the pillows and picking up the magazine she had been flipping through.

James sat down and picked up his pen, finding his place in the textbook and jotted down three sentences of his answer to the question before slamming his pen down and walking back over to the bed.

"I'm not full yet." he said as she tossed the magazine aside and giggled as he attacked her with a heated and passionate kiss, his homework left forgotten.

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	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

Brooke stood at her locker, exchanging books as she left her science class and was now headed to math, with Logan. As she waited for Logan to meet her, she checked her hair and makeup, making sure it wasn't smudging. A pair of arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back into a hug, and hazel-green eyes joined her own brown and amber ones in the reflection.

"Good morning, James." Brooke smirked into the mirror. "Is there a particular reason you've decided to shower me with attention today?"

"Well, I think that you should be my date to the dance." he said bluntly. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"I'll take a pass." she said, playing with a lock of hair to make it sit right.

"What?!" James exclaimed. Brooke glared at him and shushed him, looking around at all the people who were staring. "Why not? Why don't you want to go with me?"

"I don't know..." Brooke shrugged. "Just don't."

"But-but we've been making out for the past week and a half. We were in the back of your car this morning, remember?" James said in a hushed tone. Brooke quirked an eyebrow.

"And?"

"Well, aren't we...I don't know, together?" James whispered. Brooke took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Tell you what," she started. "If you can ask me creatively, I'll say yes, and after the dance, we can recreate our hot tub make out. If you fail, you have to go to the dance alone."

"And who will you go with?" James asked condescendingly.

"Well I was going to go by myself until you used that tone with me." Brooke snapped. "But now Logan is looking very appealing. He's a gentleman and he probably doesn't have many prospects, with how nervous he gets around girls." she batted her eyelids sweetly, but slammed her locker shut as Logan approached.

"Hey, ready to go to math?" he asked, his crooked smile irritating James.

"Yeah." she turned back to James and pulled him close by his arm. "Be creative." she said softly, leaning up and kissing him full on the lips before departing with Logan.

"Did I miss something?" Logan asked Brooke as they walked away. Brooke smirked. "Are you two..?"

"Not really. He has to ask." she said as they entered their classroom. "I told him I wasn't going to go to the dance with him unless he was more creative, than just walking up to my locker. A daisy or a rock with a note tied to it or something would've been nice for my first dance invitation."

"Well, from what I saw this morning in the parking lot, he didn't have a daisy." Logan raised his eyebrows as Brooke's smirk fell off her face. "I won't tell anyone. I came in early to deliver a project to my AP chem class and saw your car. Thank god it wasn't rocking."

"We've been doing that for the past week and a half, and at first, it was fun because I hadn't had a good make out in a while." Brooke shrugged. "But now there's all these weird feelings mixed in, and he's trying to play me like one of his old floozie girls. That shit doesn't fly with me."

"Thanks for putting him in his place." Logan laughed.

"So, are you going to the dance with anyone special?" Brooke asked. Logan looked down at his notebook, shaking his head. "Why not?"

"I just-the girls I like never like me back, and they'd rather go alone that to a dance with me." he answered. Brooke frowned.

"Well, what if I got one of the girls on the team to go with you?" she asked. Logan perked up, then smiled.

"You'd do that for me?" Brooke nodded.

"I'm sure any girl would be lucky to go with you. I'd go with you myself if James doesn't get his act together." Brooke smiled. Logan grinned and opened his notebook as the teacher walked in and class started. Her and Logan worked steadily through the class, leaning over to check each others progress, laughing when they had to fix something.

"You know, Kendall's wrong about you." Logan said softly, giving her a smile.

"What's he wrong about?" Brooke asked, looking up from checking her calculations.

"Well, don't get mad, but he called you a bitch a few days ago. Why don't you like him?" Logan asked. Brooke sighed and put down her pen and notebook.

"It's kind of complicated." she explained. "He keeps trying to figure me out. I don't want to be figured out, I just want to hang out with friends and finish high school."

"What is he doing?" Logan asked.

"He acts like he knows me better than I do. He just makes me uncomfortable that way." Brooke said, pulling at her cardigan sleeves. "I don't want you guys to feel weird or feel like you have to choose, and I try to be nice, but he's a butthead about everything I do."

"Kendall can be a butthead, that's for sure." Logan chuckled. "But he means well. Kendall is kind of like the leader of the group, and you're not following. It throws off his balance." Brooke's eyes darkened.

"I learned my lesson with following." she mumbled. Logan furrowed his brow as he watched the emotions play across her face. Anger, fear and anxiety were displayed as she took a deep breath. "I don't follow, and I don't lead. I just want to do my own thing."

"Are you okay?" Logan asked quietly, putting a comforting hand on her back. Brooke smiled and nodded.

"The past is the past, and I'd rather not dig it up." Logan nodded in understanding. The bell rang and they packed up their things, heading out. They waved goodbye to each other and went the separate ways to their lockers, Brooke grabbed her history book and switched her notebooks, smiling at the doodles her and James had added to the cover of the red notebook. She shut her locker and walked to class, her smile faltering as she noticed James' seat was empty. She took hers and crossed her legs, putting her hand in her bag and checking her cell phone, only to see a text from Carlos about Maddie Sinclair's answer to his dance invite.

Brooke sighed and tapped her pen on her book cover, waiting for James to strut into the classroom as usual, with his confident smirk plastered on his face. No such thing happened. Brooke sat through history, taking notes and doing the in-class assignments. Class ended and she headed to her locker, putting her books away and grabbing her backpack and sweater, frowning when she closed it and James wasn't leaning against the wall next to her.

"Hey, come with me to the parking lot." Carlos rushed, coming up next to her and looping her arm around his, pulled her down the hall.

"Wait, Carlos, I was waiting for James!" Brooke protested, struggling to keep up with the boys pace. "What is this about? If it's another half-dead, twitchy frog, I'm smashing your face in it."

"Trust me, you want to see this." Carlos assured her. He pushed open the front doors and pulled Brooke down the steps. "Look." Carlos pointed to her car, where James was standing on the roof, holding a microphone. Kendall was sitting on the hood, a guitar in his hands. Two amps stood beside the car, plugged into a panel on the lawn. James saw Brooke and patted Kendall on the shoulder, who took the pick from between his lips and started strumming.

"I wanna make you smile whenever you're sad, make you a grilled cheese when your tummy is mad, all I wanna do, is go to the dance with you." James sang. Brooke bit her lip, trying to hold back the grin from forming on her face too early. "I'll get your shoes and purse, when your feet ache, twirl you around until you're green in the face, it would be so nice, dancing with you. I'll hold you, kiss you, give you my coat when you are cold; sway you, spin you, even let you lead in a tango. So let me ask you to the dance just one more time, then put you to bed when you've had too much to drink." James winked. "All I wanna do, is go to the dance with you. I wanna dance with you." he finished. Everyone in the parking lot that had stopped burst out in applause, Carlos clapping and nodded enthusiastically. Brooke bit her lip and walked over to her car, James climbing down from the top as the distance was closed.

"So?" he asked. "Will you go to the Fall Ball with me?" he asked, looking hopeful. Brooke tried to give him her signature smirk, but her grin was too big of a force to reckon with.

"I'd say you've got yourself a date, Mr. Diamond." she murmured. He grinned and leaned down, pulling her close and kissing her. Cat calls and hollers could be heard by the now dispersing students. James wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up in the air. He set her down again and grinned.

"Now, how are you going to out-due this for prom?" she smirked. James just laughed and kissed her again. Kendall unplugged his guitar and slid off the hood of Brooke's jeep, putting it back into it's case and slamming the lid shut. He curled his lip in disgust as James backed Brooke against her car, kissing her and holding her tight. He and Logan started packing up the amps to get back to the choir and band rooms.

"Kendall, you okay?" Logan asked as they walked down the hallway of the nearly empty school, wheeling the amps down. Kendall bit his lip and sighed.

"I don't like James and Brooke together." he answered, shaking his head. "It just feels like trouble."

"Yeah, but you're saying that because you like her." Logan scoffed. Kendall looked at his friend incredulously.

"What are you talking about?! I do not like Brooke." he protested.

"It's simply psychology." Logan shrugged. "You both dislike each other so much, it's only going to end in a battle of sexual frustration. Fortunately, Brooke's doing something about it. You're just sitting there pissed off all the time."

"I don't like Brooke. She's bad news." Kendall insisted. Logan rolled his eyes as he went forward to open the door to the choir room.

"Yeah, how could you resist those brown eyes?" Logan sighed.

"They're not brown, they're mahogany with little flecks of amber." Kendall said, almost instantly. Logan smirked at him.

"You're totally in love with her."

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	7. Chapter 7

Ch. 7

Kendall stood in the middle of his bedroom. He had been pacing the floor ever since he had gotten home. Logan's words echoed in his head, and images of Brooke kept popping up. He was not in love with her! He could barely stand the girl! She made a point to unveil his flaws, poke holes through his plans, and constantly commented on his huge eyebrows. Kendall groaned and kicked the side of his dresser, wincing at the pain in his foot.

Brooke was making his life more complicated than it should've ever been. He noticed a light flick on across they yard and looked out his window to where Brooke was standing in her own bedroom, her phone up to her ear, and a smile on her face. He watched as she laughed and jumped up and down a few times before he headed out the door of his room, thundering down the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah I'll call you tomorrow. Thanks so much for doing this Nicole, he's a great guy, you won't be sorry!" Brooke grinned. She hung up with her friend and dialed Logan instantly.

"Hey Brooke, what's up?" Logan asked, answering his phone.

"Hey! Guess who has a date to the Fall Ball with the captain of the volleyball team?" Brooke giggled.

"No way! Brooke!" Logan grinned, shaking his head. "Brooke, I don't know how I'm going to thank you for this."

"It's nothing." Brooke shrugged. "You're my friend, and I wanted to help you out. Also I want a bag of sour gummy worms in my locker by tomorrow morning."

"No problem." he said. "I have to go, Carlos is on the other line, he's got something stuck to his hand again. I'll talk to you tomorrow. And thanks again, Brooke. You're pretty great."

"I know, and you're welcome." Brooke smiled. She ended the call and tossed her phone on her bed as her door was pushed open. She turned around and Kendall was storming towards her, a glare on his face. "Kendall what-" he grabbed her face in his hands and smashed his lips against hers. Brooke lost herself for a moment, her lips moving with his before he attempted to push his tongue past her lips. She opened her eyes and pulled away, staring at him as if he'd grown four heads.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she asked. She wiped her lips as Kendall stood back. "Kendall Knight, answer me."

"Listen, I hate you. I hate you, and I've never hated anything in my life." Kendall huffed, beginning to pace. "I don't know what this is, but there's something in me, that says you're the worst thing that could ever have entered my life, but I want you."

"What are you saying?" Brooke asked, stepping back from him. His current stance of rage and passion scared her.

"I'm going to break you, Brooke." Kendall said in a fierce and hushed tone. "I'm going to find out everything about you, and I'm going to break you. Maybe then you can really have a fresh start." he turned and stormed out of her bedroom, leaving the young girl shellshocked and wide-eyed. She sank down to the floor, tears welling up in her eyes. Kendall wanted to bring out what she wanted to keep in the most.

_ "Brooke, you're a beautiful girl, you know that?" Mr. Jenkins said softly as he locked the classroom door. Brooke gulped and fidgeted next to her desk, holding her books tightly to her chest. _

_ "Mr. Jenkins, please let me go. I have to be home to watch my little sister." she said, staring at the locked door. He just smiled and began to move closer._

_ "You'll be home in time." he smirked. "Now, why don't you hop up on that desk and spread those pretty, long legs of yours."_

_ "Mr. Jenkins, no, please." Brooke shook her head. "I-I don't want this, please just let me go." Tears started to fall down her cheeks as he loosened his tie and began unbuttoning his shirt._

_ "Why? We've done it before." he whispered, trailing his fingers up and down her arm, making her feel nauseous. _

_ "It was a mistake, and I'm not that kind of girl, so please, just please unlock the door and let me go. I won't tell anyone a thing and we can both go on with our lives. Just please, Mr. Jenkins." Brooke whimpered._

_ "You know I like it when you beg." he smirked and slapped her books out of her hands. She yelped and jumped back, but he came at her, tearing her cardigan down her shoulders and his hands ripping her uniform shirt open, a few buttons flying across the room. Brooke cried as he smacked her, insisting she shut up and wrestled her to the floor, where he pinned her arms above her head with one strong hand, as his other inched their way up her legs and under her skirt. _

_ "Please stop, don't!" Brooke pleaded as his fingers grazed her clothed center. She tried to close her legs together but his own were fighting to keep them open. "Help! Oh god, please!"_

_ "Shut up!" Mr. Jenkins snapped, pulling her panties down to her ankles. He worked quickly to undo his belt and slacks. He pushed those, along with his boxers down and Brooke cried more, struggling to break from his grasp. He climbed back on top of her and roughly thrusted in, causing Brooke to scream in pain and cry out in fear. _

_ "HELP! PLEASE!" she screamed, sobs between the pleads to anyone. Mr. Jenkins was groaning as he shifted continuously on top of her, causing her more pain. "Please! Someone! Help!" she cried. She was beginning to lose hope when the door burst open and the old janitor stood at the door, shocked his keys in hand._

_ "What the fuck is going on?!"_

_ "Sid!" Mr. Jenkins stared at the old man, stopping all movements. "No, this-this isn't what it looks like!"_

_ "SECURITY!" Sid yelled down the hall. "In here!" Rushed footsteps clattered down the hall and Brooke's tears ran even more, not knowing whether it was the fact she was saved or being found with her uniform so torn up and her panties down her legs._

_ The three school security guards ran in, gasping at the sight, then two of them ran over and pulled Mr. Jenkins off of Brooke, and the other, a female, went over to Brooke._

_ "Everything's going to be alright, honey." the dark-skinned woman said softly, sitting Brooke up. She pulled the girl's knickers up higher, letting Brooke pull them all the way up, tugging at her skirt, wishing it would grow longer. "Come on, I'll take you to get cleaned up, the police will be here shortly. Everything's going to be fine."_

Brooke sobbed as she clutched her chest, trying to push the memories back into the prison she had built for them in her head. She tried to get up, gripping the edge of her dresser to try and balance herself, only to fall back to her hands and knees, taking the lamp and a few bottles of perfume with her. She didn't try to get up again, letting herself cry, clutching her arms around her torso.

"Honey, are you-what happened?!" Luke rushed over to his daughter, kneeling down beside her as she gasped for breath. He rubbed her back soothingly and waited for her to talk.

"J-Just the memories..." Brooke whispered, not looking at her father. "Daddy, I want them gone. I want all of them gone." Luke felt like he was breaking on the inside. His daughter had rarely called him 'daddy' since reaching the grown-up age of thirteen, and now was a time where she needed him most, and he didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry, I-I could get you a therapist?" he suggested. Brooke nodded.

"I need help, dad." she mumbled. Luke wrapped his arms around his daughter and hugged her tight. Melanie had been standing in the hallway, dressed in her pajamas, ready for bed. She peered through the door, seeing her sister a mess and ran over, hugging the other side of her.

"Don't be sad, Brooke!" Melanie whispered. "We can go to the park tomorrow and play on the swings! I'll let you go down the slides first!" Brooke couldn't hold back the laugh at her sisters simple way of problem-solving, knowing Carlos would say something similar. She put out an arm and wrapped Maddie up in it, pulling her closer and kissing the top of her head.

"I'll take you to the park tomorrow after school, I promise." Brooke told her. "Now get to bed. I love you."

"Love you too, Brooke." Melanie sighed, getting up and leaving the room. Luke stood up, and helped his daughter up off the floor.

"I'll start looking for therapists near town on my lunch break tomorrow." he said, tucking Brooke's hair back behind her ears. "Try and get some sleep, okay? And you can stay home from school tomorrow if you want. But just this once."

"Okay dad." Brooke nodded, wiping the drying tear tracks off her face. "I love you."

"Love you too, sweetie. Goodnight. Get me if you need anything."

"Will do." Luke left, shutting the door and Brooke sighed, she went to her bed and changed into her pajamas, then climbed into bed after going into the bathroom, washing her face and taking the pills from back home that insured a dreamless sleep. She bit her lip and reached over and grabbed her cell phone, sliding the screen up.

_Not going to be at school tom. Feeling really sick as of now. Give the guys my love. E._

She sent the text and set her phone on the nightstand, turning it on silent. She turned the lamp off and turned over, feeling the medicine work its magic as her eyelids fell.

* * *

A group of seven well-dressed teenagers stood outside on the front lawn of the Knight's home, as well as two ten year olds and two adults with cameras. Brooke smiled as she straightened James' blue silk tie, him grinning and leaning down to place a small kiss on her lips, breaking away after her father cleared his throat warningly.

"Oh, you all look so good!" Jennifer sighed, her camera in her hand as she waved it at all of them. "We need to get some pictures!" They all groaned but got into place, all of them standing in a line, arms around each others shoulders. Brooke grinned, truly ecstatic for her first dance. James kept his arm around her waist, and gave the camera his most charming smiles.

"Okay, now all the boys, alone." Jennifer directed. Nicole, Brooke and Maddie moved off to the side, smiling at the four boys who bunched together, grinning goofily at the camera. Logan and Carlos looked the happiest, due to their first dance with actual dates on their arms. Kendall was the only stag in the group, but took it with a grain of salt, saying how he was going to steal everyone's dates for himself.

"Girls, your turn!" Jennifer called. The three girls grouped together where the boys had just stood, putting their arms around each others' waists and smiling and posing for the camera.

"We've got a couple of models on our hands." Luke said, taking pictures from his own camera.

"Couples! James and Brooke, you're first!" Jennifer laughed. The other girls went off to the side with their respective dates as James sauntered over to Brooke. She grinned as he stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and smiled behind her. Jennifer and Luke snapped a few pictures before he leaned down and places an unexpected smooch on her cheek, causing her to giggle and Karen to go berserk with the pictures.

The next couple was Carlos and Maddie, who were both grinning like fools. Apparently Maddie had had a huge crush on Carlos for a few months, and she loved the hand-drawn invitation he and Brooke had thought up. Carlos was just happy to have a date and a pretty one at that. Brooke grinned when he gave her a bear hug from behind, and whispered to James how cute they were together. James nodded and Logan and Nicole were up. Nicole seemed to really take to Logan, in the week and a half they started talking, before the dance. They weren't exactly couple material yet, but they were already becoming good friends. Logan's surprised face when she leaned up and kissed him on the cheek was tell enough that he was really into her, the blush cascading across his cheeks. After a few more rounds of pictures, including Kendall gather all three girls into his individual shots, to make it look like they were all his dates, they packed up into their cars and drove away, Logan driving Nicole, Carlos and Maddie, and James driving Brooke and Kendall.

Kendall tried to avoid glaring at James' hand, clasped around Brooke's as he drove, the occasional smile shared between the two in the silent car.

"You're going to have fun." James assured her, looking at her smile. "We're all going to make sure that your first high school dance, is the best you'll ever have."

"James, aren't you up for Fall Ball King?" Kendall asked. James nodded, flicking his bangs out of his face and grinning. "And Brooke isn't up for anything?"

"She is. She was nominated for Queen." James said. Brooke hadn't been speaking to Kendall since the incident of her breakdown. She wasn't going to open her mouth around him unless someone spoke directly to her.

"Well, good luck, Brooke." Kendall said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Brooke glared and gave him a nod, pretending to be searching her lipstick in her small clutch.

The dance was in full swing, and Brooke was having an amazing time, dancing with James, and the other two couples. Logan couldn't really dance that well, claiming he was more of an "acrobat/gymnast" than a full on dancer. Nicole accepted it and showed him how to step to the beats of most of the songs, and he got it, now moving like a pro. Carlos and Maddie, both the energetic type, were jumping around to the beats, dancing like they had never danced before. James kept a hand on Brooke's waist at all times, loving when the DJ did a few slow songs for people to take a break, and he got to pull her closer to him.

"How are you liking this?" James asked softly and he and Brooke swayed to the slow melody. Her arms were around his neck, her heels making it easier for him, because he didn't have to bend down too far.

"I really like it." Brooke smiled. "I'm glad that my first dance is here, with these people, and with you." James grinned and quickly glanced around for a chaperone before leaning down and kissing her. Brooke grinned as he pulled away and pulled herself closer to him, resting her head on his chest.

"And now, it's time to announce The Fall Ball royalty!" The hired DJ announced after the song ended. Everyone parted, and James reached into his suit jacket pocket, taking out his lucky comb and swiping it through his hair a few times, and grinning expectantly.

"I've got this." James whispered to Brooke.

"The Fall Ball King, isssssss..." the DJ stalled, and everyone rolled their eyes at the middle aged man attempting to be funny and cool. "James Diamond!" he read off a card. James jumped up and down, leaning over to kiss Brooke's cheek quickly before going through the crowd, high-fiving people and grinning at the cheers. Brooke laughed as he hopped up onto the stage, doing his "swag walk" over to the previous Fall Ball King, and getting his crown placed on his head. He turned and waved to the crowd, blowing a kiss to Brooke.

"And now, more important than the King," the DJ paused for laughs that never came. "ahem, The Fall Ball Queen, iiiiiiiiissssssss..."

"GET ON WITH IT!" some guy yelled loudly, making everyone agree.

"The Fall Ball Queen is Nicole Tortuga!" Brooke grinned and clapped for her friend and Captain, accepting the hug and polite apology, because they were both running against each other. Logan came up and stood beside her, clapping for his date. Nicole moved through the crowd and was crowned by the previous Queen, also handed a bouquet of flowers. She went and stood next to James, who bent down and gave her a polite hug, and the both smiled and waved to everyone as flashes went off.

"Now, for the ceremonial dance between the King and Queen." Everyone dispersed and formed their own couples as the King and Queen began to dance the slow dance.

"May I have this dance, Miss Brooke?" Logan turned to his friend, extending his hand. Brooke smiled and curtsied, giving him her hand.

"Why yes you may." Logan laughed and pulled her close, keeping a hand respectively high on her waist, and the other clasping his, as her free one rested on his shoulder. The slow danced, chatting and laughing easily, occasionally drifting off to watch their dates dance with each other, who were also in the same polite stance as Logan and Brooke.

"Mind if I cut in?" They both looked over to see Kendall standing there, a hand in his trouser pocket, the other held out for Brooke. Logan looked between the two and smiled, walking away as he gestured for Kendall to take over. Brooke didn't take Kendall's hand, so he put it on her waist, pulling her into the dance with him.

"You can't not talk to me forever." he said softly. Brooke bit her tongue and looked just past him, knowing that it would bug him most that here eyes weren't focused on him. Kendall sighed. "Look, I know I went about it the wrong way, but I just want to know why you're such a mystery. You avoid certain subjects, and you look like you're going to cry when we mention anything to do with your old home. Something happened. And for some reason, you don't like me because of it."

"No, I don't like you because you don't know when to leave well enough alone." Brooke snapped, her words coming out in a harsh hiss through her teeth. "You have no right to try and figure out what happened, because as far as you're concerned, nothing did. Just stop trying to be a hero or fix me or something, and be my friend. Then I'll like you, and then we can be friends. But until you pull the pretentious stick out of your ass, we can't get along." she pulled out of his grip and walked away, pushing through the crowd as the song ended.

"Dude, what did you do?" James asked, witnessing the whole exchange, though not hearing the words. He knew Kendall and Brooke alone together wasn't a good idea, but didn't blame Logan, who was probably thinking along the lines of Kendall hadn't danced with Brooke yet that night, and wanted to give them a chance.

"I didn't do anything. I just tried to get her to talk to me." Kendall shrugged.

"Kendall, you're like a brother to me, and I really want you and Brooke to get along, but if she doesn't want to like you, or get along, then that's her prerogative. I'm not going to force you two together all the time." James said. Brooke came back up, her clutch in hand and a frown on her face.

"James, can we go?" she asked. "I'm getting kind of tired." James smiled.

"Can you get a ride with Logan?" he asked the blonde boy next to him. Kendall nodded and stalked off. "Come on, let's say goodbye to the others first, and we'll go." Brooke nodded and he took her hand, pulling her to find Maddie, Carlos, Nicole and Logan, after saying goodbye and hugging their friends, the two teens made their way to James' new car, and climbed in.

"Want to go home?" he asked her softly. Brooke gave him a small smile.

"Your mom is gone until Tuesday, I told me dad I was sleeping at Nicole's, and you think I want to go home to my place?" Brooke smirked. James grinned and started the car, pulling out of the packed parking lot and driving to his home. Brooke had been to his house quite a few times now, only having met his mother a few times, but from what James heard, she was head over heels for the young girl, loving her makeup and hair style, and overall complexion. Brooke had frowned at hearing this, but James had assured her it was the highest compliment she'd get from Brooke Diamond, who ran a cosmetics company.

They pulled up to the large house, driving up the driveway and parking near the door. Brooke had her heels in her hand and followed James up the front steps as he unlocked the door. After making it inside, he shut the door, locking it for the night before taking Brooke's hand again and guiding her up the stairs to his bedroom. She sat on his bed as he moved around his room, pulling a few items from his drawers.

"Here, you can sleep in these tonight." he said, smiling as he handed her a pair of old boxers and a faded hockey t-shirt. Brooke smiled, standing back up as she took them and placed them on the bed. She stepped closer to James and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning up and kissing him square on the lips. She pulled away and batted her eyes, and James smirked. "I thought you were tired."

"Well, I just happened to get this burst of energy, and I know of a very productive way to tire the both of us out." she said softly, the seductive tone in her voice make James bite his lip. He bent down and kissed Brooke, igniting a fiery make out as they stood next to the bed. He started to let his hormones take over, his hands running up and down her blue dress, and unzipping it, letting it fall to the floor. He broke the kiss and looked down to her navy lace strapless bra and panties, groaning and attacking her neck as she pushed off his suit jacket and loosened his tie. He pulled away from her, unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it to the ground. Brooke's hands ran up and down over his toned and tight torso, her fingers falling into the grooves of his defined abs as she kissed him again. She rested her hands on his belt buckle, teasing him before finally undoing it and his pants, pushing them down and letting him kick them the rest of the way off.

James backed Brooke up and she fell back on the bed, biting her lip and smirking as James crawled on top of her, supporting himself with his hands on either side of her shoulders. He kissed her and ran a hand up and down her smooth, tanned leg, finally grabbing it by the underside of the knee and hitching it around his waist, grinding down on her with his clothed hard-on. Brooke moaned softly in her throat, her fingers tangling in James' soft, brown hair. His lips trailed down her jaw and to her neck, nipping, licking, and sucking at the pulse points and sweet spots he had found before. Brooke moaned and arched her back, grinding back on him and hitching her leg higher on his waist. He trailed his kisses down her chest, reaching behind and undoing her bra, tossing it away and palming her breasts before continuing his trail, dipping his tongue into her belly button that was missing it's usually dangly piercing because of the form-fitting dress.

His fingers trailed down her sides and settled at the hips of her panties, tracing the hem before slipping underneath them and pulling them down her legs. She kicked them off, both of them laughing softly as they landed on his lamp across the room. He kissed her hips, and Brooke's teeth bit down on her bottom lip harder as his kisses trailed down further. James reached his destination, spreading her legs apart further and Brooke moaned loudly as his mouth came in contact with her wet, heated skin. Her hands gripped his hair and she could feel his smile against her as he licked and sucked, moaning along with her.

"Oh god, James," Brooke sighed before he began nibbling and sucking on her clit, her moans becoming louder as she writhed under him. James began working harder, thrusting two of his long fingers into her hole, thrusting fast and occasionally curling them, making Brooke moan his name loudly, which he couldn't get enough of. "James, I'm-oh god! Uhn!" James lapped up the juices from Brooke as she came down, pumping slowly to help her ride out her orgasm. He pulled them out and licked her off of him before grinning and kissing her lips. Brooke moaned at the taste of herself on his lips and pulled his body to her.

"That was the first time I've done that." James smirked. "That was pretty great." Brooke grinned at his cheeky smile and kissed him again. He got back to business as she reached down and massaged him through his boxer briefs, his already rock hard cock stiffening even more.

"Shit, babe," James hissed. "It's starting to get a little painful down there." he gave her a pout and she smiled tugging down the last article of clothing between them and wrapping a hand around his large dick. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he bit his lip as she leaned up and kissed his neck, nipping at his adams apple.

"Fuck, Brooke." he groaned. Brooke stopped her ministrations and leaned over to his bedside table, digging around in the top drawer.

"James, do you have any condoms?" she asked. James raised his eyebrow in surprise. The most he and Brooke had down was oral.

"Uh, next drawer..." he said. "Are you sure?" Brooke took a small foil package from the drawer and closed it, smiling over at him.

"I'm sure." she pulled him into a kiss and placed the packet in his hand and leaned back on her elbows, watching him tear the package open with his teeth before rolling it on his cock. Brooke and James shared labored breaths, their intense hormones turning into unrelenting passion as he looked up and got the okay from her, guiding his length into her. Brooke's head rolled back and she moaned. James lowered himself gently on top of her body, kissing her jaw and neck while starting to thrust slowly. Brooke's hips bucked into his own, creating such a sensation she had never felt before. Their breathing picked up and James gave Brooke a lustful, passionate kiss before propping himself up on his arms again, thrusting harder and faster.

"Brooke...oh shit, Brooke." he groaned as she wrapped her legs around his hips to take him in more as he thrusted. A sweet, burning heat was building up in the pit of Brooke's stomach and her hands scratched at his back and arms. He leaned down, his thrusting becoming sporadic and kissed her. Brooke brought her lips down and kissed at his jaw and neck, crying out as her orgasm built up further.

"James, I'm so fucking close!" she whispered into his ear.

"Me too, me too! Uhn!" he groaned. Brooke felt the fire release in her stomach and moaned loudly, becoming more sensitive as James came, thrusting still to ride out both of their orgasms. Brooke laid back after a few moments, catching her breath as James pulled out rolled off the condom, tossing it in the bin beside his bed. He laid down next to Brooke, catching his breath as their bodies, which were covered in perspiration, cooled off.

"We're good together." he grinned. Brooke looked over at him and grinned as well, bringing her hand over to cup the side of his face and kiss him.

"I'm starting to get chilly." she whispered softly, beginning to get up. James pushed her back down gently, reaching over his side of the bed and grabbed the night clothes he had pulled for her, along with his own boxers. He pulled his on first, and then moved over, sitting Brooke up and lifting her arms, kissing her lips sweetly before pulling the shirt over her body and again after it feel. Brooke wore a soft smile as he laid her back down and lifted up her legs, gently pulling the boxers up over her legs, to her hips. He reached down the bed and pulled the sheets up over them, laying down on his side and facing her, propping his head up on his elbow.

"I'm about to say something I've never said to a girl before, okay?" James said quietly. Brooke smirked.

"Is it 'That's never happened before?'" Brooke giggled. James' jaw dropped and she laughed. He reached over and tickled her side, making her squirm and laugh harder.

"No, and this is sorta serious." he said after she calmed down. Brooke moved to face him more and nodded. "I-I...shit, Brooke, I love you." Brooke smiled. She reached over and grabbed his hand, bringing it up to her lips and kissing it.

"I think I love you too, James." she whispered. James grinned and leaned over, kissing her once more before he laid down and snuggled her into his chest, to go to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch. 8

Brooke rolled over in bed, trying to snuggle into the warmth that had radiated beside her all night. Unfortunately, it was missing. Brooke squinted her eyes open, and peered around. James had tidied up the room, her dress on a hanger on a hook on his closet door, and the duffle bag she had thrown in James' car before they left her house for the dance sat on the desk chair. She sat up and stretched her arms, tossing the covers to the side and getting up, stretching up on her toes before lightly making her way through the door and down the hallway. She listened for faint signs of James' whereabouts, knocking on bathroom doors and getting no replies.

She moved down the stairs, a small aroma meeting her nose, and she turned at the foot of the stairs and went into the kitchen. James was singing softly under his breath, moving around the stove and counters. Brooke leaned against the doorway, crossing her arms over her chest and watching the tall, tan brunette work away, not noticing her standing there.

"What is love? Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more..." James sang. Brooke bit her lip the keep the giggles in as James got more into the song, standing back from the stove and putting his hands in the air. "Oooooohwoah oooooohwoah!" He flipped a pancake in the air and spun, catching it in the pan and carrying on, spinning too fast to notice the girl.

"Impressive." Brooke called out a few moments later. James jumped with a small shriek and turned the burner off before turning around and looking at her. He smiled nervously, playing with the strings on his pajama pants.

"H-How much of that did you see?" he asked her, clearing his throat. Brooke smirked and stood upright raising her hands up to her shoulders and waving them.

"Oooohwoah." she said. James blushed in embarrassment and sighed as she made her way over to him. "I woke up without a good morning kiss. I'm offended." she whispered to him, standing on her tip toes. James smirked this time and leaned down, kissing Brooke's plump lips. She sighed contentedly and pulled back, placing her feet fully on the floor.

"I was making breakfast. I thought it'd be a nice surprise." James admitted, turning the burner back on as Brooke hopped up on the counter, watching his arms flex as he worked over the stove again. "Pancakes and fresh fruit."

"No bacon?" Brooke asked.

"Mom hates the stuff, so we don't have any." James shrugged. Brooke nodded and picked a strawberry out of the bowl next to her, biting into it. "You look so good in my clothes."

"Well, perhaps I should just wear them more often." she said, licking her lips. James nodded eagerly and flipped a pancake.

"How many do you want?" he asked her. Brooke paused in kicking her feet, and James looked up. Her face looked troubled and he became concerned. "Brooke, babe, what's wrong?"

"I-I just..." she sighed, not wanting to lie to him anymore. "I kind of am recovering from an eating disorder." she whispered. James furrowed his brow, but motioned for her to continue. "I just don't like eating. I feel fat when I do. I only really ever eat around the guys because I know one of you would notice. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I'm trying to deal with it on my own."

"It's okay. A-are you okay to eat now? Or uhm...I-I don't really know what to say..." James chuckled awkwardly, resting his hands on her thighs.

"I'm good to eat. I'm recovering, not recovered." she whispered. "I-I want to get better, and I want...I want you to help me."

"Of course, Brooke, anything." James kissed her lips sweetly, tucking a wavy strand of hair behind her ear, then staring into her eyes. "I'm not going to coddle you and tell you you're healthy and good when you're not, okay? You're asking me to push you, and I'm going to do it."

"I need it." Brooke nodded. James kissed her lips again, then the tip of her nose.

"Then here. You get first batch." he handed her a plate with three large, perfectly golden brown pancakes. "Syrup is next to you, and so is the butter. Eat some fruit as well." Brooke saluted him and smiled softly as he handed her a fork, glancing between that pan where he was cooking his own stack and her. Brooke turned her fork on it's side, cutting swiftly through the first, fluffy and golden cake, dipping the piece in syrup. She lifted the fork to her mouth and sighed the moment the food fell onto her tongue. James smiled as she chewed, while she was fighting off Brittany's sickeningly sweet and judgmental voice in her head.

_"That's going to go straight to your thighs and ass."_ it said. Brooke took a deep breath, cutting another piece of the pancake, and placed it in her mouth.

_**"I don't care."**_ Brooke thought back to the voice, chewing defiantly.

_ "Look at that piece of meat you have there. He's not going to want you once those fatcakes hit your hips."_ Brooke slowed her chewing and set her fork down. James looked up from setting a rather large stack of pancakes on his plate, and smiled reassuringly.

**_ "Fuck you, Brittany, he loves me."_** Brooke smiled back at him and picked her fork up again as James joined her in eating breakfast.

"How do you feel about a morning swim?" James asked. Brooke swallowed her food and cleared her throat.

"I feel like I didn't bring a swimsuit." she said, picking up a piece of pineapple out of her little bowl. James smirked.

"I said nothing about swimsuits." he said. Brooke giggled and set down her nearly empty plate.

"We just had sex for the first time last night, and you're already a horndog." Brooke chuckled as James stood in between her legs again. She smiled at his messy hair, liking how it was pushed back from his face, a different look from the bangs he usually rocked. She ran her fingers back through it and her smile grew as his eyes closed and he relaxed into her body. "Is this what you're like with all the girls?" she asked softly. James' eyes opened slowly and he leaned in close to her.

"No." he shook his head. "I never loved the other girls. I've never felt the way I do with you. I didn't just sleep with you last night, Brooke. I..well I did my best, to make love to you." Brooke grinned at the bashful look on James' face as he looked down, playing with the hem of the boxers she was wearing.

"You did very well." Brooke whispered to him, taking her hand and tilting his chin up. "You're the most amazing guy I've ever met. The fact you actually care about me means more than you'll ever know." James closed the gap between their lips and Brooke's fingers tangled in his hair. Her legs wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer. Their lips slowed their dance after a few moments, finally pulling away.

"I love you." he said softly, nuzzling his face against her neck.

"Love you."Brooke whispered, smiling to herself.

* * *

Brooke sat on a brown leather couch, her legs crossed underneath her and her bag next to her. The room was quiet, except for the ticking of the clock on the wall and the occasional squeak of leather meeting rubber as Brooke moved her feet. Her eyes scanned the numerous bookshelves, and she wondered if her therapist had actually read all of them, or if they were merely there for ambiance.

"Brooke, is there anything you want to talk about?" Betty asked. Betty Thornton, Brooke's new therapist, was an older woman, definitely older than her middle-aged father. Betty was nice, and the air in the room didn't feel as stuffy and judgmental as Brooke had expected.

"Have you read all of those books?" Brooke asked. "I mean, there are a lot of them. I don't think anyone with a job could've read them all." Betty smiled at the young girl.

"No, I haven't. I'm trying, though. Now, why don't we talk about why you're here." Brooke drew in a deep breath. The words were on the tip of her tongue and she wanted to just scream them out, but her breath hitched in her throat. "I understand it's hard, and you can take as much time as you need, but the sooner you tell me, the sooner we can get you going to where you want to be."

"I-I'm messed up." Brooke sighed. "Back in Indiana, I-My friend Brittany and I were bored, and she uh, she dared me to flirt with our English teacher, Mr. Jenkins." The bile rose up Brooke's throat at the mention of his name, but she cleared her throat and continued, shakily. "I uhm, I had sex with him, willingly, once. And then after a few weeks, he-he..."

"It's okay, take your time." Betty said softly. Brooke nodded, taking a few moments to gather herself.

"He raped me." Brooke said quietly. Betty nodded, writing something down on a notepad. "I want to get better. I've not been eating right up until recently. I told my boyfriend who is making sure I eat, whether he's there to make me or not."

"Sounds like a good friend." Brooke smiled, picture James in her head, and imagining him playing hockey at Kendall's, waiting for her to come home. The boy had spent more time than ever with her, and Brooke found herself loving the attention. His easy-going persona always made her smile, and even in his dullest moments, she found a way to make him laugh and forget about it.

"He is." Brooke answered. "Him, Logan, Carlos and Kendall were already friends before I moved here, and they kinda pulled me into their group. I live next door to Kendall. But James, Logan and Carlos are the best."

"What about this Kendall?" Betty asked, tilting her head to the side curiously. "He's not your friend?"

"No." Brooke shook her head. "He jeopardizes everything."

"How do you mean?"

"He wants to break me." Brooke shrugged. "He keeps pushing me and trying to find out what I'm hiding. It-It pisses me off. There's a reason I keep things to myself, you know? My family moved away so that I could start over, and all he wants to do is bring it all back to haunt me. He's a fucking dick." Brooke huffed, then realized she had cussed. "I'm sorry, it just slipped out!"

"It's fine. Whatever you say, it's getting emotions out." Betty smiled understandingly. "We'll try to watch the language, but occasional slip-ups are okay."

"Thank you." Brooke smiled.

"Now, you say Kendall wants to figure it all out. Why do you think that?"

"Other than him telling me, flat out?" Brooke scoffed. "He's _that guy_ you know? _That guy_. If he's not solving problems and being a hero and leader, he's not breathing. I'll admit, I was a bit rude to him when I first met him, having just gotten to town and being immediately thrust into his home for dinner, and his mom made him take me to hang out with his friends, but he just...I don't know, he rubs me the wrong way and it scares me."

"Why does it scare you?" Betty watched Brooke's eyes sink to the floor. Her teeth gnawed at her plump bottom lip, and thought. When she finally looked up to meet Betty's eyes, the older woman saw how truly broken Brooke was.

"Because he could destroy everything I've built to keep me safe."

* * *

Brooke felt a bit better after her session, driving home in the jeep, listening to a mix CD that Logan had made and left in her car. She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel and turned down her street, smiling as she saw four boys in jerseys rolling around on rollerblades and shooting a ball towards a net. She slowly passed them and pulled into her driveway. Shutting her car off and grabbing her bag, she slung it over her shoulder and opened the car door. She stepped down from the car and shut the door, hearing the sound of tiny wheels coming towards her. She turned and saw James stopping next to her.

"Hey baby." he grinned, leaning down and giving her a kiss. "How was your appointment?" Brooke had told James she was going to see a therapist, but only let him know it was for her eating disorder. She had asked James that if the guys asked, to say she was going for left over baggage from her parents' divorce. He understood and promised to keep her secret until she was ready to tell.

"It was good." Brooke smiled up at him. "Talked about a lot of things. She had a lot of books. The couch was squeaky." James laughed at his girlfriends' humor and took her hand, going back over to the guys.

"Hey Brooke!" Carlos said, hugging her, nearly toppling them both onto the sidewalk. "How was therapy? Did you cry? Do you need some cheering up?"

"I'm fine, Carlos." Brooke smiled. "But thank you. Your hug did enough cheering up." Carlos grinned at the news and moved back.

"We're in the middle of a match, you guys." Kendall said, skating away. "I'm sure Brooke will still be a novelty in half an hour." Brooke rolled her eyes and kissed James' cheek and hugged Logan before pushed them gently towards Kendall. She went over to the grass and sat down. She watched as they guys rolled around, James and Logan on one team, Carlos and Kendall on the other. For nearly an hour, they shouted and cheered and worked on moves before Carlos and Kendall won. They all went into Kendall's house after packing up and Jennifer walked in from the kitchen with a cup of tea.

"Oh, Brooke, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked, beckoning her to follow into the kitchen. Brooke nodded and let go of James' hand before following Mrs. Knight as the guys went down to the basement.

"What's up?" Brooke asked, standing at the counter awkwardly. Her mind was racing with possible things she could be in trouble with from Kendall, but nothing came up.

"Honey, your father told me the other night," Jennifer smiled sadly. "why you're going to therapy. I have to say, I'm not surprised." Brooke's head shot up and looked incredulously at the woman who was staring down at her teacup. "I was worried you had an eating disorder from the night of that hockey game." Brooke sighed and nodded.

"Please, don't tell anyone else." Brooke said softly, her fingers picking at the edge of the counter. "James is the only one who knows right now, and I want to keep it that way."

"It'll go with me to the grave." Jennifer nodded. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you if you ever need anything. I went through anorexia when I was in my twenties, and it's a long road to recovery. If you ever need to talk with someone, just call me, sweetie." Brooke nodded as Jennifer moved around the island, her arms open for a hug. Brooke immediately stepped into the embrace, the warmth of a mother figure having been gone for so long, Jennifer's own was like a beacon of hope.

"I-uh, I should get downstairs, the guys are waiting for me." Brooke whispered, breaking the long hug. "Thanks, Jennifer. I really appreciate this."

"It's no problem, Brooke. It's what moms do. The snacks are already down there." Brooke smiled again and left the kitchen. Jennifer sighed and swirled the cup of tea. She had omitted what else Luke had told her. She knew everything. But Jennifer was a good woman, and she'd be damned if Brooke's life was ruined because of a slip of the tongue from her or anyone else.

"Brooke, are you ready for your game tomorrow?" Logan asked, from his place next to her. She was sitting on the couch, James' head in her lap as she dropped pieces of popcorn into his mouth. Logan was next to her in a new comfy chair. Brooke nodded.

"We're going to kick some Duluth ass." Brooke answered, laughing when James bit her hand lightly. She put her free hand into his brown locks and ran her fingers through it, always amazing that no matter what he did to mess it up, it was always untangled and soft. He sighed softly and nestled further into her lap.

"Yeah! Duluth is going down!" Carlos cheered, jumping up and down, a corndog in his mouth. Brooke laughed and James grabbed a pillow, throwing it at the young Latino. Kendall's loud laugh was heard as the boy took the hit to the gut, crumpling over dramatically.

"Dude, quiet." James said. Brooke flicked his forehead, making him open his eyes and glare at her. A buzzing sound filled the silence and Brooke reached into her pocket, taking out her phone.

"I have to go." she said. "Dad wants me in for dinner." James whined and didn't move. "I'm going to get up whether you like it or not." Brooke moved to get up and rolled James' body to the floor, everyone laughing. Brooke made her way to the stairs as James followed her, saying he was going to walk her home.

"It's only next door!" Kendall shouted after him, to which he got a middle-fingered reply from the tallest member. "God, he's so fuckin' whipped."

"No he's not." Logan said, taking a drink from a fruit water. "He's being a gentleman for his girlfriend."

"Yeah, just because you're the only single guy now doesn't mean you can call everyone whipped." Carlos chimed, shoving a handful of tater tots in his mouth. Kendall rolled his eyes.

"I'm not saying you and Logan are, but Brooke has James wrapped around her finger." Kendall shook his head. "He's not our James anymore."

"He will always be our James." Logan said. "But this change is good. He could've turned into a huge manwhore by now, if Brooke had never moved here. We'd have to be dealing with cheering our best friend up because he got an STD or something, instead of sitting around with him and his girlfriend, who is also our friend, I may add."

"Brooke isn't going anywhere, Kendall. You're going to have to get used to it." Carlos shrugged. Kendall sat in the recliner, picking at his bitten nails and cuticles, knowing his friends were right, but he wasn't going to admit it. If he said anything else, he'd let slip that he was jealous of James getting to Brooke first. He could already know all her secrets, and it irritated him to no end that he didn't get there first.

"If you want her to nice to you, try not being an asshole around her." Logan shrugged. He checked his watch and sighed. "I should get going, I've got homework. Carlos, want a ride?"

"Yeah." Carlos stood up. "Logan's right, Kendall. Just try to be nice." the two boys left, leaving the blonde alone in the basement.

Tonight, he decided, tonight would begin the destruction of Brooke Montgomery.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! The person who took my story took their stuff down, so we're all good. I'm going to be keeping an eye on them, but I want to thank those of you who messaged me and reviewed letting me know! You guys are so sweet and yall got my back! I'm very happy to be apart of this community once again. :) Anyway, here is the real Chapter 10! Enjoy!**

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Ch. 9

The silence in the Montgomery kitchen was deafening. Luke was out of town on a business trip, and Melanie was next door, spending the night at the Knights. Brooke sat at the table, her knees drawn up to her chin, her arms wrapped around them, staring at the clock on the oven. James stood behind the extended counter, a dinner he had prepared half an hour earlier sitting in front of him, getting cold. The scowl that was etched on his face told anyone he wasn't happy with the current situation. He had tried to be romantic, making Brooke fettucini alfredo and breadsticks, even breaking into his mom's liquor cabinet and stealing a bottle of cabernet. Brooke came home to find it all set up, and shook her head, telling him she didn't want to eat and wasn't in the mood. Thus beginning the half an hour long yelling match and them at opposite sides of the kitchen.

"Can you just please, eat something?" James whined after a few moments.

"James, I told you, I ate too much already today." Brooke shook her head. James threw his arms out to his side.

"How can you eat too much when you don't fucking eat, Brooke?!" he exclaimed. Brooke's eyes snapped to his.

"I don't want to fucking binge and get fat, alright? Just shut the fuck up, you have no idea what I'm going through." she snapped harshly.

"Fuck you, Brooke." James shook his head, slamming fists onto the counter. "I'm trying to help you. I've been letting you walk all over me with this shit, and I'm going to make you eat."

"You can't fucking make me do anything." Brooke scoffed. James raised his eyebrows and pulled his phone out of his jeans and sent a quick message to someone. He set his phone down then smirked at Brooke. "What are you doing?"

"You'll see." James said. Ten minutes of silence went by, and someone knocked on the door. James left the room, and opened it, letting the person in.

"What did you guys need me for?" Carlos asked. Brooke furrowed her brow as they entered the kitchen and James stopped at the counter.

"Carlos, I need you to hold Brooke." Carlos looked confused.

"This isn't some weird, sex thing, is it?" he asked, looking between the two. "As hot as Brooke is, I don't want to see you both naked."

"It's not. And Carlos, you don't have to do this. Just go hang with Kendall. James is being a baby and wants you to do his dirty work." Brooke said.

"Okay, what's going on?" Carlos asked.

"Brooke won't eat." James shrugged.

"Well is she hungry?"

"_No._" "Yes." Brooke and James answered at the same time. Carlos' confusion heightened.

"What's going on?"

"Brooke is recovering from an eating disorder and is relapsing right now, and won't fucking eat, when I know she hasn't eaten all day." James said, glaring at his girlfriend. Brooke moved to get out of her seat, but Carlos was already there, his arms wrapped around her and the chair from behind. James picked up a plate from the counter and sauntered over, as if he were already victorious in the battle against Brooke's warped mind.

"I hate you both." Brooke groaned, struggling against the Latino's strong hold. She knew she was no match for his energetic strength, and paired with his new worry over the girl's health, he wasn't going to let go for anything. "Carlos, let me go." she begged, watching as James twirled the pasta around a fork, kneeling in front of her.

"Nope. I love you, and I want you healthy, Brooke." Carlos shook his head. "Now here comes the choo-choo! Open up!" James gave his friend a look, telling him to hush and put the fork in front of Brooke's mouth. She shook her head, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Brooke, eat." she kept her mouth shut and drummed her fingers on her jean-clad thighs. All she had to do was stay silent and keep her mouth shut and they'd give out soon. Carlos' energy would start to wain, especially at the thought of hot meals going cold before he could eat them, and James would give up and end up being mad at her until they went to bed, where he would forgive her and hold her close as he slept.

"Brooke, please?" Carlos asked softly. "Please eat." Brooke shut her eyes, wanting to block out the sound of his sad voice and was happy she couldn't see his face. She knew that a sad Carlos was one of the worst things in the world. The boys face was never meant to hold a frown, and she knew one look at it would destroy any resolve against the issue she had, wanting to coddle the boy and coo at him like a lost puppy dog.

"Brooke, open up." James sighed. "I'm going to do this all night if I have to." Brooke opened her eyes and shook her head at him. "Dammit, Brooke, just one bite." she glared at him.

"Brooke, I'll stay here all night too." Carlos said determined. His voice was still soft, and he kissed the side of her head gently before continuing. "You're sick, Brooke. Please let us help." Brooke stared at the wooden table in front of her. After a few moments James sighed.

"I don't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." he said. He reached over with his other hand and gripped her jaw, almost painfully and pulled her mouth open, shoving the fork in and then closing it, pulling the fork out and empty of noodles. The chilled pasta rested on her tongue and she debated spitting it back out into his perfectly groomed hair, but when Carlos nuzzled his face into the side of her neck and whispered a soft 'please', she guiltily and begrudgingly started to chew. Relief fell over both the boys faces as James took the plate off the table and twirled more pasta, holding it out to Brooke. She stared at the fork and opened her mouth, and after a few more hand feedings, Carlos let her go and James thrust the plate and fork into her hands. Brooke stabbed at the pasta, eating hungrily, the boys watching in amazement.

Carlos' mind churned with everything that just had happened. Brooke was anorexic? He hated that he never realized it, thinking back to all the group dinners and double dates he'd been on with James and his girl, he remembered Brooke barely touching her food, eating only when eyes were upon her.

"Slow down, baby." James said softly. "You'll get sick, and you're not getting out of this that easy." he warned. Brooke nodded. James got up and went to the cupboard, getting a glass and going to the fridge, filling it with ice and water, reaching into the fridge and putting a lemon slice in the glass after squeezing the juice out. He handed Brooke the water and she drank most of it down.

"Thanks Carlos." James said softly.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Carlos asked, hurt evident in his facial expressions. James sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"She didn't want anyone to know yet." he shook his head. "The only people that do are her family, me, Mrs. Knight and you. You can't tell anyone."

"I won't." Carlos nodded, and James followed suit, knowing the Latino's word was solid. Brooke looked up at them, the plate empty, a few crumbs from a breadstick there. She had a guilty look on her face and her hands trembled. James rushed over to her and knelt down again, taking the plate and setting it away from her before she dropped it.

"It's okay, Brooke." he whispered, cupping her face in his hands. "You did great. You don't have to have anymore, I promise." Brooke nodded and whispered something to him, and Carlos could see tears welling up in her eyes. "No, no don't hate yourself. I'm sorry, I just care about you too much. Did I hurt you?" Brooke shook her head and James rested his forehead against hers, then leaned up and kissed it. Carlos moved to go into the living room, but Brooke's voice stopped him. He turned back and she was out of the chair, walking over to him. He gave her a sad smile and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tight. Carlos immediately hugged back, and rubbed her back gently until she pulled back.

"Thank you, Carlos." she whispered. "I know you won't tell anyone, but I'm sorry I made you a part of this." Carlos shook his head.

"You're like a sister to me. I'll help you with anything." Carlos said. Brooke nodded, this serious side of Carlos rare. "Please listen to James from now on, and eat. Come to my house for dinner tomorrow. My Madre makes some mean tamales." Brooke smiled and nodded. Carlos grinned and leaned in, kissing her cheek before waving to James and leaving. Brooke stared at the door and James came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her frame.

"I'm sorry." he whispered. Brooke turned and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his lips softly. James couldn't help but feel horrible, at the way he roughhoused her to get her to eat. His hands moved up and cupped her face gently, his thumbs massaging her cheeks.

"I'm sorry I make you this way." Brooke whispered. James shook his head and leaned down, kissing her lips gently.

"You asked for help, and I'm helping. I told you I wasn't going to give up on you easily." James gave her a smile. "Sit on the couch. I'll be right back, and we can watch a movie." Brooke nodded and moved to the couch as he went back into the kitchen. He took Brooke's plate and glass, rising them off before shoving them into the dishwasher, and picked his up, putting the plate in the microwave. He looked at the wine and bit his lip, then shrugged, picking up the glasses and bottle and taking them out front. He set them on the coffee table and gave her a soft smile.

"I thought at least we can still have the wine." he offered. Brooke smiled and he went back into the kitchen as the microwaved stopped and beeped. He took his plate out, and grabbed the fork, heading back into the living room and plopping down unceremoniously on the couch next to Brooke. She flicked through the channels and then turned on Netflix, searching through movies. She settled on School of Rock and set the remote down, picking up the glass of wine and taking a large sip. James copied her action in between large bites of alfredo, finishing the dish quickly, then taking the plate out to the kitchen again. Once he was back on the couch, Brooke moved over and crawled into his lap, her legs out straight on the couch and her arm around his shoulders. She brought her hand up and toyed with the hair at the back of his neck, twisting it softly between her fingers as he closed his eyes. She leaned in and kissed his jawline, down his neck and to his adams apple.

"I'm not mad." he whispered. "I know you're doing this because you think I am." Brooke sat up again and looked at him. His beautiful hazel eyes stared into her, worry and concern filtering through. "You're going to get better, I promise."

* * *

Carlos paced the floor of Logan's room, as the pale brunette sat at his desk. He felt so guilty that he had spilled Brooke's secret, but Logan was his go-to friend when he felt trouble was on the horizon. Logan was looking up information on anorexia.

"It says here that sometimes, anorexia can stem from a emotional trauma." he said aloud, squinting at the screen. "Brooke seems to be afraid of eating. I didn't realize until you mentioned, but she does always look nervous around food."

"How do we help her, Logie?" Carlos asked, his frown growing more and more. Logan shook his head.

"I don't know, Carlitos." he sighed. "We don't know anything more about her past that could've triggered her fear. And I don't want to push her. If James knows, then we'll let him deal with it. We can help, but we're going to have to let her trust us in her own time."

"Yeah, well she won't do that until Kendall stops being a dick." Carlos huffed, sitting on the neat and tidy bed. Logan winced slightly at the wrinkles that were appearing in the fabric of his duvet, but pushed past it, his focus on his evidently upset friend and Brooke's problem.

"Kendall's being himself, and adding to that, he's been arrogant, but he's getting over it, I think." Logan shrugged. "He's being nicer towards her, so..."

"Not really." Carlos admitted. "He just pretends. He's up to something."

"What do you mean?"

"I was over at his place when James called me over, and we were on his laptop, looking up stuff for the project. He went to the bathroom and I took over, and..." Carlos sighed. "He's been searching Brooke's name in Indiana records. He's looking for something about her. I don't know what, but he's crazy about it. He's got this word document of theories about her."

"Like what?" Logan furrowed his brow.

"She was a prostitute, she had a baby and gave it away for adoption, she was abused...it goes on." Carlos sighed. "Is it wrong of me that I think maybe one of those is wrong with her?" Logan took a deep breath, letting it escape quickly through his mouth.

"No. Something might be wrong with her." Logan admitted. "We're just going to have to wait it out and see if she says anything. Maybe James knows something."

Carlos couldn't help his skepticism as Logan shut off his computer, and stood up. Carlos followed suit and smiled sadly. They both knew as they stood in silence everything was about to change. For better or worse, they didn't know. They could only hope for good.

* * *

Kendall sat in the dark of his bedroom, the only light coming from the laptop sitting on his computer desk as he scrolled through St. Mary's school website. His hair was greasy and his eyes bulged and were dry and red from staring at the screen for hours on end. He picked up the can of Red Bull and chugged it back, then tossed it into the waste bin next to his desk, along with the other three that were already there.

"Come on...come on..." he sighed, clicking any link he could. He groaned as he was redirected to the school newspaper. He clicked a bunch of links and one led him to the county newspaper. He typed in Brooke's name and was surprised to see three links to stories.

_ Local Teacher at St. Mary's of Indiana Fired and Restrained_

_ St. Mary's teacher, Arnold Jenkins, was fired and has had a restraining order filed against him after being found trying to have sexual relations with student Brooke Montgomery. A janitor had found them in a locked classroom after hearing cries for help and called campus security. It is unknown, the reasons behind Jenkins's motives, but it's said that he had been making, what the teenagers call "passes" at the young girl for a while. Word for now is that the Montgomery's are pressing charges for rape, molestation, and pedophilia against Jenkins, and taking their daughters from the school. No other comments have been made by the family, except that they wish to have their privacy respected by the community. A friend of Ms. Montgomery's, Brittany Berconia, spoke up. "She's totally devastated this happened. Like, really. It's so horrible to think we can't go to a private school where we're supposed to be safe, you know? It's like, really uncool." No other students have spoken on the issue, presumably hushed by the school board._

Kendall couldn't believe his luck. He grinned victoriously and printed off the page, his weary eyes beginning to sag, finally, as he shut down his laptop.

He was one step closer to breaking Brooke, and that made him very, very happy. He moved towards his window, looking into Brooke's bedroom as she stood by the mirror in her lace bra and panties. He checked her out until he noticed the door open and watched as James walked in, clad in only boxer briefs. He instantly hated the grin the two shared as he leaned over and kissed her on the lips, and picked her up, her legs wrapping around his waist and carried her out of sight, presumably to the bed, and the lights went off. Kendall stormed to his own bed and ripped back the covers, jumping in and trying not to think about Brooke's body as it popped into his mind. He rolled over and drifted off to sleep, his dreams taking off from his last thought, imagining him hovering over Brooke instead of James' lean and toned body, Brooke clawing at his back and moaning his name. Kendall's eyes opened and he groaned at the tight feeling in his pajama pants.

He'd get Brooke back if it was the last thing he did.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch. 10

Brooke laughed as she walked down the halls of Sherwood High, Carlos on one side, James on the other. Carlos was animatedly talking about dinner the night before, where Brooke and James had went over, Carlos' parents delighted to see the girl. They had met her in passing and after hockey games, but never had a chance to talk to her.

"Seriously, Brooke, my mom loves you. More than me, I'm sure." Brooke giggled and shook her head.

"How could anyone love someone more than you, Carlos?" she asked. "You're far too much of a joy to be around." Carlos grinned as Maddie came up beside him and hugged him.

"I love Brooke more than you." James joked, hugging Brooke to him. She laughed as Carlos's face fell. "Well dude, it's a different type of love." Carlos thought for a second, then got the jump back in his step. James kissed the top of Brooke's head as Carlos and Maddie departed, going to Carlos' locker as Brooke stopped at hers. The weekend had went smoothly after Saturday night and the alfredo incident, as James dubbed it. Brooke ate without much of a fight, and James didn't hassle her over it. They had made love later that night, Brooke trying to make up for being so stubborn and James trying to make the sadness go away. They woke up late and spent most of the day laying in bed, only getting out for food and bathroom breaks, and to get ready for dinner at Carlos', which according to his messages, was going to be amazing and delicious.

The dinner was indeed, delicious, and Brooke loved the fact that Mrs. Garcia offered to teach her how to cook it. It was a habit that Brooke had picked up, cooking large meals for her family and friends, and keeping busy serving them, and making dessert while they all ate. She collected recipes from friends parents and magazines, but she hadn't been allowed to cook for a while, her father learning this habit, and passing it on to James not to let her cook for him unless he helped and made sure she ate. Mr. Garcia was interested in learning about her hometown, asking about the local law enforcement, and smiling when she said Sherwood was better. His mother had given her enough leftovers before she left to practically feed an army, but she didn't mind.

James leaned against the wall next to her locker, frowning that he had to part with her for two hours.

"Stop pouting, your face will freeze that way." Brooke smirked. James rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, but I'd still be great looking." he quipped, making Brooke scoff.

"I wouldn't sleep with you if you had a permanent pout." she said lightly. "I would never be able to tell if you still like this." she reached over and cupped his crotch, moving her body so no one could see the action. James groaned and she gave him a playful squeeze, backing away and going back to checking her makeup in her locker mirror.

"I'm going to get you for that." he said, thinking of his grandma getting out of the shower and gruesome Saw movie scenes to delay the hard-on. Brooke smirked and winked. "I should get going. Why was I put in classes all the way across the school?"

"Because they figured your legs are so long you'll make it in two steps." James rolled his eyes again and leaned down, giving Brooke a quick peck and smiling.

"Think of me?" he asked. Brooke nodded and he grinned. "Think of me! Think of me fondly when we've said goooooooodbyeeeee!" he belted, walking backwards down the hall. Brooke's face went beet red and she laughed loudly as he bumped into a recycle bin, and gave her a sheepish grin and turned around, making his way to class. Brooke turned back to her locker, and gave her hair a final flip and shut the door, gasping when Kendall appeared from the other side.

"What do you want?" she asked. Kendall smirked, in his hands was nothing but a twice-folded paper.

"I want to talk." he smiled. "I was doing some research last night, and I came across a very interesting article from last year." he handed the paper to Brooke and she reached out hesitantly and took it. Her heartbeat sped up, knowing what was on the paper before her fingers ran across the folds, opening it. She gasped as her eyes scanned the all-too familiar passage and she quickly folded it back up.

"What's this about?" she asked, holding the paper firmly in her grasp. "Kendall, whatever you're doing, stop it..."

"This is my, well, I could say bribery, but I'm going to say bargaining chip." he said. "You start treating me better, and I'll keep quiet. I already know your little secret. You're ashamed of this and I understand. I would be too." Brooke felt like crying. Her old life was coming back to her miles at a time and Kendall's smirk and glare was burning into her skin, making her feel sick to her stomach. "Let's be friends."

"Kendall-"

"Meet me at my place at seven? You'll be there? Great. See you." Kendall walked away, ripping the paper out of Brooke's grip and smirking to himself. He had her right where he wanted her.

The rest of the day, Brooke's nerves were on high alert. Her stomach churned and her faced burned with regret and embarrassment at the thought that her secret could be revealed. She knew that if it did, people would treat her with pity, which was almost worse than the judgement they'd glare at her with if they found out the other half, the half Kendall didn't know. She didn't want anything getting out, at all.

Lunch was awful. Her appetite was even less apparent with Kendall's smirk across from her. Carlos reached under the table and squeezed Brooke's knee, giving her a nod and encouraging smile, stuffing a few french fries in his mouth. Brooke smiled back and tore apart her chicken sandwich, taking small bites. Logan watched his four friends, James, holding Brooke's hand on top of the table and eating his burger with the other. Brooke was picking apart her lunch, but Carlos and James kept nudging her, making her look guilty and take a few bites. Carlos was happily stuffing his face between nudgings, talking with Maddie on the other side of him. Kendall's persona seemed to have shifted dramatically over the weekend. He was usually stoic and quiet until someone brought up hockey or music, but he was smiling, chatting away with James over a movie they had seen while Brooke was at volleyball practice the other week.

Logan nudged Carlos' foot with his own under the table and attracted his attention. He subtly nodded his head towards their unusually cheerful friend, and exchanged glances, fearing the reason behind it.

"Babe, I really want to come over." James whined, nuzzling his face against Brooke's neck. He had her backed against the door of her jeep, his hands intertwined with hers. Brooke smiled softly and sighed.

"James, you have practice for the finals and I have a lot of homework to do tonight. Plus dad's letting me make dinner for once and I want the time to prepare it." James gave her a look. "No, I'm going to eat, I promise."

"But why can't I come over after dinner or something? Just for a little while?" he asked, kissing just below her ear, making her knees weak. His hair blew in the wind and Brooke seriously reconsidered telling him no, but shook her head.

"I really have to get this work done, James." Brooke said. "I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you tomorrow morning. I'll pick you up, we can go to the park...to our favorite spot." James grinned stared into her eyes.

"DIAMOND, LET'S GO!" They looked up to see Kendall and Carlos on the front steps, hockey bags in hand. James leaned down and kissed Brooke, quickly slipping his tongue in before pulling away and winking.

"You owe me!" he called over his shoulder. Brooke smiled and nodded, climbing into her jeep. She looked up after putting the key in the ignition, seeing Kendall still on the steps. She shook her head and pulled out of the parking spot, leaving the school grounds and heading home.

The next few hours were too fast for Brooke's taste. She and Melanie did their homework at the table and Brooke got dinner started. Luke came home and they ate, then settled down to various tasks. Luke went into the den to watch the news and read the paper, Melanie went with Katie and Jennifer to the mall, and Brooke sat in the living room until seven.

"Dad?" Luke looked up from the paper. "I'm going to go next door for a bit. The guys are over there and we're going to watch a movie." Lying came too easy for her. She waited for karma to bite her, but her father nodded.

"Be home by eleven." he said. Brooke gave him a wave and walked down the hall, grabbing her phone and stuffing it in her pocket as she left the house. She crossed the lawn and went to the door to the kitchen, knocking as it opened itself. She furrowed her brow and entered the kitchen, shutting the door behind her.

"Kendall? Quit fucking around and let's get this over with." she sighed, calling out to him. He came in from the front room, a smirk seeming to be permanently on his face.

"Hello Brooke." he said. "Nice to see you."

"Cut the shit." she groaned. "What do you want?"

"To put it simply: you." Kendall smirked. He walked forward and circled Brooke. "I want you. But not exactly..."

"Kendall, you're not making sense." Brooke said softly, getting nervous as he eyed her like a vulture would its prey.

"This is going to be a gradual process." Kendall said, stopping in front of her. "First, you're going to start being nicer to me. Then gradually, you're going to start liking me."

"Kendall..." Brooke said as a warning.

"Eventually," he continued, ignoring her. "You're going to be mine." Brooke scoffed and shook her head.

"Have you forgotten I'm with your friend? Your best friend?" she asked. "I'll be nice, and fuck, I'll start liking you and treating you as a friend, but I won't _ever_ be yours."

"Do you really think that, Brooke?" Kendall smirked. "I'll have you wrapped around my finger." she shook her head again. "Oh really? Tell me you wouldn't want this." He grabbed her and pulled her close, lips attaching to her neck and his hand trailing up her thigh and under her skirt, skimming her panties with his long fingers. Brooke tried not to respond, but couldn't help the shudder before forcing him away.

"You're sick, Kendall." Kendall laughed, resting against the counter.

"I'm not the one with the eating disorder and rape trauma." Brooke's eyes widened. "Now, be a good girl, and give us a kiss." Brooke glared at him, and he only smirked. "Come on. One press of a button, and this article is forwarded to everyone in Sherwood. We're a tiny town, babe." Brooke wrapped her arms around herself and moved towards him.

"This isn't any way to get me to actually like you, you know." she said quietly as she came closer. Kendall shrugged.

"Hey, it works for me." Brooke was now standing in front of him, still a foot or so away. Kendall's smug smirk was in place. "I can wait all night."

"Kendall, please don't do this." Kendall's smirk faltered, finally seeing how broken she was. But he decided to stand his ground and raised an eyebrow. "Listen, I'll spend time with you, and I'll be friends with you, and we can try it out, but please, please don't make me do this to James."

"It's just a small, innocent kiss. Nothing more." Kendall said. Brooke closed the space between them, and then shifted nervously, standing between Kendall's legs, her arms still folded over her chest. She looked at Kendall's lips, as the moment sobered, Kendall's smirk falling as he watched her hesitant face.

This wasn't him. He would never take advantage of a girl this way. He was making Brooke afraid of him, and in reality, that's the last thing he wanted. Why had he gotten so obsessed with her? Was it because she was a mystery to him, or was it because she was the first girl who'd ever told him no? His thoughts raced and he was about to open his mouth and call off the plan, when two plump lips rested on his own. Brooke's lips moved against his as his arms wrapped around her fame, pulling her close and sighing.

"That is it." Brooke whispered when she pulled away. "All you're getting from me, ever. I'm not going to hurt James like this. I _love him_, okay? We're just friends, Kendall. Nothing more." she backed away fully, and left the kitchen, leaving to go home. Kendall watched after her, and regretted manipulating her. The past few months of his life were spent thinking up ways to get her to open up and all he had done was close her even more to him. He had to go on the internet and sneak around to find it all out that way. He knew there was something else he didn't know, and he wasn't going to look for anything more.

He wanted Brooke, he'd win her the old way. His way. Not the way he'd been going about it. Brooke would be his, one day. He'd make sure of it.

* * *

**reviews are love!**

**xoxo**

**k**


	11. Chapter 11

_Ch. 11_

Brooke's life was hell. Between James constantly on her back about eating and sex, Kendall was trying to worm his way into her heart. The Wednesday after their exchange in his kitchen, she had been woken up by her father, who was holding a bouquet of roses from "Anonymous Admirer". Brooke accepted them, and once Mrs. Knight had gone to work she went to Kendall's house, and left them on his doorstep, with a note that she hated roses. Which, in all fairness, was true, but she wasn't going to let him in that easy, either.

That Friday, it was a stuffed giraffe. He'd been doing his homework, and Brooke accepted it again, only to gently set it in her bedroom's trash can, knowing Kendall was watching through his window. Since then, chocolates had ended up in her locker, which she gave to Carlos, and letters, in a messy scrawl, Kendall obviously trying to disguise his neat handwriting. She kept those, hidden away in a drawer she kept miscellaneous junk in her room. But she never read them. His words meant nothing to her. She agreed to be civil, and friendly, but under this spoken bribe he had her under, she wanted nothing more to do with him than a smile in the hallway and brief hug after lunch.

The weekend rolled around, and the boys had a hockey game. Brooke sat with Jennifer, Katie, and Nicole and Maddie, cheering on the guys and booing the visitors. It was nearing the end of the game, and Duluth East was up by three points. If Sherwood could get their three in before the buzzer, they'd go into overtime and could win the regional finals, catapulting them into the state finals. James and Logan were speeding down the ice, Kendall a few paces behind them, switching the puck from one to the other.

Duluth East's captain was coming up on them, and smashed into James, knocking him backwards on the ice. The ref blew his whistle and everyone stopped, looking back. Brooke stood up to see above the crowd. James wasn't moving. Usually he took a hit like that and was back on his feet in no time. But he wasn't moving.

"Jennifer..." she said, looking fearfully over to her. Jennifer's face was pained and she took the girls hand, leading her down to the ice where they were putting James on a travel stretcher to take him to a gurney in the locker rooms. They tried to follow, but were stopped by another ref.

"You can't go in there."

"But we need to-"

"You can't go in." the ref repeated, glaring at the two.

"Listen, James' mother is out of town on business, and his father lives on the other side of the state. _I_ am responsible for him in that manner, and you _will let us in to see him_." Jennifer scowled, making Brooke jump. She had never heard Jennifer's voice that way, even if she was scolding Kendall or Katie. The ref blinked and let them through. They slipped in before the hockey team could and over to the stretcher. James' helmet was off and they were taking the padding off, one medic on a walkie-talkie, radioing the nearest hospital to bring an ambulance for transfer.

"Are you his family?" the other medic asked, looking at the two ladies.

"I'm Mrs. Knight, I'm responsible for him right now." she said. "This is his girlfriend, Brooke. Is he alright?"

"Are you going in the ambulance with him, then?" the medic asked Jennifer. Jennifer looked to Brooke.

"I'll follow in my jeep." Brooke said, the hockey team piling in behind her as the ambulance showed up, and they opened the doors to the outside. "Is he going to be okay?"

"If we get him to the hospital soon enough, yes." the other medic said, beginning to push the stretcher out the doors. Jennifer gave Brooke a sad smile and moved out the doors with it, climbing into the ambulance.

"Brooke, go." she turned to see Logan, with his helmet off, sweat glistening over his face and matting down his hair. "We'll be right behind you. Go."Brooke nodded and burst through the doors, pulling her keys out of her pocket as she ran through to the student parking lot. She jumped into the jeep and started the car, watching as the flashing lights of the ambulance went by her. She pulled out of the lot and followed, her fingers tapping nervously on the steering wheel. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes and it felt as if the fifteen minute car ride took three hours. She hurriedly found a parking spot and jumped out of her car, jogging into the lobby and running over to the receptionist.

"May I help you dear?"

"My boyfriend is being brought in by ambulance, James Diamond?" she rushed out in a single breath. The receptionist nodded and gave her a sympathetic look.

"You'll have to wait until they get him in a room. Is he with someone?"

"Yes, Jennifer Knight came with him in the ambulance." Brooke nodded.

"I'll make sure she knows you're here, and when she's available, I'll have her come out and get you." Brooke frowned but nodded, tapping the desktop a few times before pulling away from it, going and sitting down on a bench.

After waiting half an hour, the nurse looked up towards Brooke.

"Miss, Mr. Diamond is on the fourth floor. You can wait up there, and the nurses will tell you where to go from there." Brooke nodded, standing up and walking to the elevators. She pressed the button to go up, and stood back, waiting and watching as the doors opened, and a woman was wheeled out, holding a small baby wrapped in a blue blanket, a small cap on his head, the father cooing over the mother's shoulder. Brooke couldn't help the smile on her face, but sobered up as soon as she walked into the elevator and the doors shut. She slammed on the 4th floor button, her body feeling as if it was on overdrive, five steps ahead of her brain.

The doors opened and she rushed out into the hall, following the arrows that pointed to the waiting room. She entered, nervously tugging at her shirt. Jennifer turned around, sighing, seeing the girl with tears in her eyes.

"He's fine, sweetheart." Jennifer said, coming over and putting her hands on Brooke's arms comfortingly rubbing them. "His vitals are all fine, he just...he had an immediate concussion and was knocked out. Not a good combination."

"S-So he's in a coma?" Brooke whispered, looking up at the woman.

"Not technically." Jennifer answered. "They say it's not a deep sleep. That he may wake up before this Friday, even. But...still, they're not one hundred percent accurate with these things." Brooke nodded.

"C-Can we go and see him?" Brooke asked. Jennifer nodded.

"I wanted to wait for you. You go on ahead, Kendall called and they're on their way, and they'll want answers immediately." Brooke nodded and took a deep breath. "Room four-twelve. Don't be nervous, it's not bad." Brooke nodded again and left the waiting room. She wiped her clammy palms on her jeans as she counted the numbers on the rooms. Reaching room 412, she stood outside, biting her lip. A nurse came out, and gave her a sympathetic smile, passing her to go into another room. Brooke counted three deep breaths, and stepped in. She peered around the curtain and the tears welled up. James' tan body was laying limp on the hospital bed. An IV was in his hand, leading up to a drip line and a bag of fluid. A heart monitor was attached to one of his fingers, and she came closer. His hair was matted down to his forehead from drying sweat.

"_James_..." she whispered, reaching out and taking one of his hands. It was still warm, and she smiled a bit, feeling the slight calluses from his occasional guitar playing. She remembered laying in his bed, the sheets tucked around her as he sat next to her, strumming a tune and singing along to it under his breath, whatever came to his mind. She took her other hand and ran it back through his hair, pushing it off his forehead, knowing he'd be upset to wake up to pimples on "The Face". "You always know how to make my heart jump, baby."

Brooke pulled a chair close to the bed, keeping a hand in his and sitting down. She watched James' face, looking for a sign that this was all a scam, and he'd wake up any minute and kiss her, telling her it was a joke, and laughing his loud, contagious laugh. Nothing. Not even the cheesy hope that, at her touch, he'd open his eyes. She sat there for a while, the only sounds in the room, the heart monitor and the occasional scrape of the chair against the linoleum flooring when she crossed and re-crossed her legs.

"How is he?" Brooke looked up. Carlos was right beside her, a stoic look on his face, his arms crossed over his chest. Brooke gave him a smile.

"He's fine." she answered softly. "Did Mrs. Knight tell you guys?" he nodded as Logan went around to the other side of the bed, observing the drip and the tubes. Kendall stood at the foot of the bed, looking over his best friend. They were all covered in drying sweat, smelled like they sprayed on a bit too much body spray to mask their odor and pulled on their clothes in a frenzy. Brooke didn't blame them. Logan was holding her bag and she gave him a strange look.

"Uh, Nicole gave this to me. She said you left it behind." Brooke reached over the bed and took it from him, smiling gratefully.

"So uh, did you guys win?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah, we're going to the state finals in three weeks." Kendall said. The idea of a win and a championship didn't at all lift the spirit in the room. What was a championship without James Diamond on the ice?

"I think he'll wake up soon." Carlos stated softly. Brooke looked up again and put her other hand on his lower back, where she could reach, and rubbed it soothingly. He moved closer and put his hand on her shoulder. "He's James Diamond. He doesn't stay down for long."

"That's for sure." Brooke mumbled, forgetting the present company. She blushed and apologized for her crudeness before Logan let out a laugh, followed by Carlos and Kendall. Soon, Brooke was giggling along, and the atmosphere was happy for a few moments.

"Linda is on the next flight home, and his dad is already on his way." Jennifer said, coming into the room. "Why don't you guys go on home? It's late and you need your rest too." Brooke shook her head.

"I'm staying." she said softly.

"Brooke, you really should get some sleep." Jennifer insisted. "I've talked with your father and he wants you to make your own decision, but I'd feel better if you went and came back in the morning. He's not going to wake up tonight, honey." Brooke's frown increased.

"Come on, we're all sleeping at Kendall's." Carlos murmured. Brooke bit her lip and then nodded. They all moved for the door, Brooke standing up and pushing her chair back into its place. She walked back over to James and gave his hand one more squeeze before leaning down and kissing his forehead.

"Love you." she whispered. Carlos held out his hand and she took it. He pulled her close and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, kissing the side of her head comfortingly as they walked down the halls.

They left, Carlos following Brooke to her own car, insisting she shouldn't ride alone and Logan drove Kendall home.

"I need to grab some things." Brooke told Carlos as she pulled into her driveway. He nodded.

"I'll come with."

"Carlos, I don't need a bodyguard." Brooke said, smiling at him knowingly.

"No, but you need a friend." he replied softly. They went into her house and up the stairs, Carlos sitting politely on her bed while she went and grabbed her clothes and bag.

"We're not in a soap opera, right?" she asked softly, standing next to him, shoving her clothes into the duffle. Carlos looked up, furrowing his brow. "I mean, James is going to wake up, right? No dramatic coma for six years, only to wake up and find everyone is gone and moved on?"

"No, we're not." Carlos stood up, pulling her into a hug. "I say, he wakes up by Wednesday, gets his hair touched up by Thursday, a facial the next morning, and on Friday night, you two are going out on a date, smooching and being in love." Brooke chuckled, pulling back from Carlos' hug.

"Where is this Carlos on a daily basis?" she asked jokingly. Carlos grinned and shook his head.

"This one is specially reserved for instances that need it most. Also to comfort one of my best friends slash best friends girlfriend." he answered, pushing her hair out of her face. "Now, we're going to go over to Kendall's sleep on the floor, and pig out on comfort food until we get to go back to the hospital tomorrow. I'll stick by your side the entire night if you want."

"You're too good, Carlos. I'm very lucky to have you as a friend, you know that?" Brooke said. Carlos smiled again and kissed her forehead.

"My mother always told me that you don't choose the people in your life, fate does." he told her. "I think fate brought you into my life to be the sister I never had. I'm_ always_ going to be here for you, Brooke. No matter what." Brooke hugged him again, the pulled away.

"Promise me you're going to shower at Kendall's, you smell horrific." she said, smirking slightly and turning back to her bag, tossing in her hairbrush in and zipping it up.

"Thanks for ruining that sentimental moment, Brooke." Carlos chuckled as she picked up a sweatshirt James had loaned her, folding it over her arm. He picked up her duffle and they headed out. Once they were in the house, they headed up to Kendall's room.

"We're not in the basement?" Brooke asked. Carlos shook his head.

"Not the right moment." Kendall was sitting on his bed, Logan at his desk.

"Hey." Carlos said as they stepped in the room. The two boys looked up and nodded in acknowledgement. Brooke stood awkwardly by the door.

"Uh, if it's more comfortable for you, the guest room is open." Kendall said quietly. "Katie is across the hall. I just don't know if you'd want to sleep on the floor or not."

"I really..uh..." Brooke bit her lip. "I just don't want to be alone right now."

"I'll stay with you." Carlos suggested, nodding for her to get the door. She followed him to the guest room, which had a large, made up bed. Carlos set her bag down on the edge of it.

"I'm going to go get changed and say goodnight to the guys. I'll be back." he said. Brooke nodded and he left, closing the door behind him. Brooke looked around for a few moments, and then got changed, pulling on a pair of shorts and her tank top. She picked up James's hoodie and slipped her arms into it, zipping it up halfway. She took in the scent of him. He had a natural smell about him, that always smelled amazing; like a sandy beach after a thunderstorm, or something to that effect.

A gentle knock sounded at the door.

"Are you decent?" Carlos asked. Brooke replied with a yes and he came in, giving her a smile. "They're almost already passed out in there. Shall we?" he pulled back the covers and allowed Brooke to crawl in first, next to the wall. He shut off the lights and climbed in next to her, tucking them in.

"Goodnight Brooke." Carlos whispered. Brooke smiled and looked over at him.

"Goodnight Carlitos."

* * *

James didn't wake up by Wednesday. He didn't wake up by Friday either. Or the next Friday. Or the next. Every day, Brooke went through the motions, waking up, showering, going to school, volleyball practice every other day, then heading to the hospital, with either Carlos or Kendall in the passenger seat, staying there until someone forced her out. The nurses and doctors were saying he was improving, and that he could hear and detect people in the room and his heartbeat was stronger when Brooke would speak, or hold his hand. It wasn't much, but it was hope.

"Brooke, I know this is tough, but please eat." Carlos begged. Brooke hadn't been buying lunch, or bringing it to school for the past few days. Logan kept quiet at first, knowing he wasn't supposed to know her secret, but after a few days of this behavior, he started bringing a plain peanut butter and jelly sandwich, keeping it in his locker with him for an emergency. Carlos had been buying larger lunches, giving Brooke half of it and begging her to eat. She would comply, but barely, eating only enough to make him stop asking, then excusing herself from the table and leaving the cafeteria.

"Brooke, not eating isn't going to wake James up." Logan said softly from across from her. Two glares burned into his skin as Brooke's eyes met his, and Kendall's bored into the side of his head. Brooke grabbed her bag and silently left the table, pushing through the cafeteria doors and into the hallway.

"Great job, brainiac." Kendall muttered. Picking up his tray and tossing it, following Brooke, he went into the hallway, watching as the back of her went into the girls bathroom. He sighed and looked around before heading towards the bathroom, pushing the door open and thanking God that there weren't any girls at the sinks.

"Brooke?" he called, looking for feet under the stall. "Brooke, I saw you come in here. Logan wasn't trying to be rude. Sometimes he just doesn't think..."

"I know." Brooke replied, sniffling. She unlocked her stall and came out, her eyes red as she wiped her cheeks to clear them of tears. "I-I'm just scared."

"We all are." Kendall informed her softly. "Do you want to cut and go see him?" Brooke bit her lip, but shook her head.

"His mom is there, she'd send us back to school." she whispered. "Besides, I have practice after school." Kendall frowned and opened up his arms a bit. Brooke eyed him carefully before allowing him to hug her to him. She'd been letting him in a bit, during the past few weeks that James was in the hospital. She didn't trust him, or like him yet, but he knew she'd accept the comfort he was more than willing to give.

"Come on, let's go to choir." Kendall whispered to her. "Well, first, let's take care of this mess." he said, pointing to her face. Brooke laughed and turned to the mirror over the sink and groaned. Kendall took some paper towel and soaked it with cold water and handed it to her. He watched as she carefully patted her eyes, trying to make the puffiness go down. She set her bag in the sink, then pulled out a small stick of light brown eyeliner, re-doing her natural look makeup. Kendall smiled.

"Very pretty." he said softly. Brooke locked eyes with him in the mirror before capping the pencil and tossing it back in her bag.

"Thanks." she murmured. "Kendall, I know that I've been emotional towards you the past two weeks, hugging you and whatnot, but that doesn't change anything between us. It's moving us in the right direction of being friends, but I'm not leaving James."

"What if he's a vegetable?" Kendall asked. "What if he never wakes up? Are you going to waste your life by his bedside?"

"No, but he's going to wake up." Brooke whispered determinedly. "I'm going to class. Wait five minutes before leaving or people will talk." she moved past him and left him standing in the girls' bathroom.

The rest of the day went by painfully slow for Brooke. Without James in between classes, it was dull and boring. She'd have given anything to have him playfully shove her over and steal her locker mirror to check his already perfect hair and teeth. She made it through, though, and was suited up for volleyball practice, stretching with Nicole, who was talking about strategies for the game on Saturday. Brooke listened intently, volleyball being the only thing that kept her mind of her boyfriend's sleeping body.

"So, I was thinking, what if we change up the rotations a bit? What if we have you up front first, and then you get pulled back, that way we'll be ahead by a few points."

"I'm game for anything." Brooke nodded. "We can try it out." they diverged into tactics with the rest of the team, and the coach, who was listening from the side. That was the best part, the coach let the girls figure out their own plays and tactics, occasionally helping and putting in input or suggesting something else. The whistle blew and they got into practice teams, beginning to put the plans into use. Brooke was giving it her all, knowing the focus could keep her distracted, jumping around and calling the ball before smacking it down to the other side.

The coach blew her whistle and they all stopped and looked over to her. She was standing up, and bent down slightly, Logan next to her hurriedly speaking in her ear, glancing at Brooke with an unreadable expression.

"Montgomery! You're done for the day." the coach shouted. Brooke looked at her incredulously. "Go change." Brooke looked to Nicole, who shrugged, not wanting to get in trouble with coach. The brunette girl moved out of her team and walked to the locker room doors, looking at Logan, who was looking anywhere but her. Brooke's heart tightened in her chest, her brain immediately thinking the worst as she changed back into her day clothes. She stuffed her practice clothes in her locker and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder before going through the doors to the hallway, seeing Logan having already made it there.

"Logan, what's going on?" she asked softly, her lower lip quivering softly. Logan's face broke out in a smile.

"He's awake." he said, grinning at Brooke's huge grin. "He's awake, and he's asking for you."

* * *

**Shout out to Tokala for letting me know I uploaded chapter 10 twice! I'm sorry guys! I had a total brain malfunction! but here's the real one!**

**reviews are love!**

**xoxo**

**k**


	12. Chapter 12

Ch. 12

Logan held back his laughter as he had to practically restrain Brooke from flying down the hallways in the hospital. She was tapping her hands against her thighs in the elevator, only stopping when it the doors opened on the right floor and she all but hurled herself out.

"Brooke, slow down!" Logan chuckled, pulling her arm back. "He might be with doctors anyway, so it may be a while before you can actually see him."

"Sorry, I just really miss him." she whispered. They turned the corner and came to his door. Logan looked in, rapping his knuckles on the doorframe and smiling as James looked up from the magazine in his hands.

"Hey Logan." he smiled. Logan smiled back and came in the room, revealing Brooke behind him. "Brooke!" Brooke quickly walked in and went to his bed, smiling down at him with a few tears in her eyes before leaning down and kissing him passionately, holding his head in her hands as his reached up and held her arms.

"I missed you, baby." she whispered after pulling away, nuzzling his nose with hers. He grinned and wiped away a few of the tears that fell with his thumb.

"I missed you more." he whispered back. "I dreamed about you all the time. I could hear your voice, but fuck, I missed you so much, Brooke."

"Don't ever do this to me again, okay?" Brooke chuckled lightly, sitting down on the bed as he made room for her. "When Logan came and got me from practice, I thought you had d-..." she couldn't get the word out, for fear that this was a dream and when she woke up, the word would've been a taboo.

"I'd never, _ever_ die on you, Brooke Montgomery." James said, looking her dead in the eye. After another moment, he smiled again, pulling her back into his chest and kissing her head, murmuring how much he had missed her.

"You're the first thing he spoke of when he woke up." Linda mentioned, letting them know she was now in the room, as was Jennifer. They were both holding cups of cafeteria coffee, smiling at the couple who were wrapped up in each others' arms. "The doctors were asking what his name was, and he said 'Brooke! Where's Brooke?!" Brooke tilted her head back to look up at James, who was blushing profusely.

"I told you I missed you." he mumbled, Brooke smiled and placed a kiss to his jaw. He smiled again and hugged her tighter to him rocking them back and forth a bit.

"Then he finally told them his actual name after I told him you were on your way, and I called Logan to get you here." Jennifer said. "He was the only one at the school still." she smiled gratefully over to the boy, standing off to the side of the bed, smiling down at the happy couple.

"So when can he leave?" Logan asked, looking at the adults.

"Well, they want him to stay for a few more days, just to make sure he doesn't have any memory loss or any damage." Linda said. "But he's not showing any signs so far."

"Then again, he's only been focused on Brooke getting here." Jennifer smiled knowingly at them. "I'm going to go and call Kendall, and see if he's on his way. He hasn't replied to my text." she left the room.

"I'll go call your father." Linda smiled, leaving behind Jennifer. The three teenagers looked at each other and smiled.

"Have you been eating?" James asked softly, tugging his fingers through her messy hair. Brooke looked up at him and then Logan, who had heard.

"I-I uh, I know, Brooke." Logan stammered. "I kind of put two-and-two together. I have been reading dozens of medical books, you know." Brooke nodded, seemingly accepting his explanation, and he inwardly sighed in relief, happy that he didn't rat Carlos out.

"I've been kind of...neglecting food..." Brooke admitted under James' stern look. "But Carlos and everyone have been pushing me...Kendall, I think he just thinks it's because of you being in the hospital."

"I'm sorry, Brooke." James whispered into her hair. "I should've been there for you."

"It's not your fault." she answered him firmly, shaking her head. "You're awake now, and that's all that matters." she kissed his lips again and settled back into his arms, resting her head in the crook of his neck.

"JAMES!" Carlos was in the doorway, grinning ecstatically, Kendall's figure behind him. "You're up! You're awake!"

"You caught me!" James joked, moving his body so it was open a bit more, while still maintaining a hold on Brooke, keeping her close to him after almost a month of nothing. Carlos leapt onto the bed, hugging both of them tightly. "Okay, Carlos, I need to breathe!"

"Sorry!" Carlos let go, grinning wider, if that was at all possible, when Brooke giggled at his antics. A laugh had been rare from her in the past few weeks. "We've all missed you so much! Me especially! I didn't have anyone to do stupid things with!"

"Well, we'll just have to catch up on them, won't we?" James smiled brightly at his friend.

"Except maybe James should wear the helmet from now on." Kendall smirked, and James rolled his eyes.

"Hey, it's that guy from Duluth East that needs to look out from now on." he said. "Speaking of, what happened with the game?"

"We won." Logan informed him. "Just scraped by, and don't worry, I heard that the guy who checked you illegally was disqualified and kicked off the team for unsportsmanlike conduct."

"Cool." James nodded, directing his attention to Brooke, who was toying with his IV/heart monitor free hand, running her soft fingers along the creases and lines in the slightly rough skin. He kissed the top of her head and watched her.

"So, what was it like?" Carlos asked, his innocent curiosity getting the best of him. "You know, being in a coma?" James thought for a few moments, and Carlos was about to repeat the question, when he finally spoke.

"It was like, you know how when you're really tired, and I mean _really_ tired, you're like, here and there at the same time? Like, you're in a limbo between sleep and just resting your eyes? And you can hear everyone around you, but you can't move or speak, or even blink...it was pretty terrible. I mean, I'm probably really spectacular looking right now, with all that beauty sleep, but hearing you guys was the worst, because all I wanted to do was wake up and talk to you, but I couldn't." He pulled Brooke impossibly closer and inhaled her sweet scent, loving that she hadn't worn perfume and he had her natural self.

"Sounds awful." Kendall grimaced. James nodded.

"I wouldn't recommend it for your next vacation destination." he mumbled. Everyone shared a laugh at his statement and the room was brighter. for the first time in a long while. They continued to chat, asking James questions about his coma, what he missed most (to which he tightened his grip on Brooke and kissed her cheek) to if he wanted a cheeseburger and milkshake to be snuck in for their next visit, as the hospital food wasn't the best in the world.

"I'm sorry, but visiting hours are almost over. I'm going to have to ask you all to start leaving unless you're family." a nurse came in, giving them all a soft smile to match her quiet voice.

"What if I consider them family?" James asked, raising an eyebrow and giving her a charming smile. She faltered, but regained her composure, probably reminding herself that he was indeed, an underage teenager and she was an adult.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Diamond, but they're not blood, so they have to leave. Hospital rules, not my own, I'm sorry." she answered.

"Okay, but what if she's my wife?" James asked, gesturing to Brooke, who was sitting beside him on the small bed. The nurse gave him her own smirk.

"I don't see a ring on either of your fingers, she doesn't look pregnant, you're both minors and she'd still have to wait outside unless there was an emergency." James' smile fell and Brooke bit her lip to keep from giggling as the nurse turned to leave. "Five minutes, Mr. Diamond."

"We should get going, then." Logan said after a few seconds of silence. "Brooke, do you want a ride home? Or do you want to go get your car from the school?"

"I can get it in the morning, if you don't mind dropping me off." she answered, smiling kindly at Logan. He nodded, leaning down and hugging James.

"See ya man." James said, giving him a smile. Logan nodded and headed out after telling Brooke he'd wait for her in the hall. Carlos gave James another nearly bone-crushing hug before jumping off the bed, allowing Kendall to pat his shoulder lightly, saying goodbye. Once they had left, Brooke bit her lip.

"I don't want to leave you." she said softly. "I want to stay here and make sure this isn't a dream."

"I promise you, it's not a dream, baby." James said softly. He reached over and tilted her head up to look straight at him. "In a few more days, I'll be out and we'll skip school, or I'll come to your house, and we'll spend all day together. It won't be enough, ever, but I'll make up the past few weeks to you."

"You don't have to.." Brooke whispered. James smirked and studied her face, taking in every small change that had happened in almost a month.

"I want to." he answered. He didn't waste anymore time, leaning down and kissing her, his lips eager to taste hers after so much time apart. His hands moved to her hair, tangling in it and pulling her closer. Their kiss built and built, as much as it could in the sterile hospital environment, only to be broken by someone clearing their throat. Jennifer was standing in the doorway, a knowing smile on her face, Linda with a matching smirk.

"Time to go, Brooke. Logan's waiting." Jennifer said softly. Brooke nodded and stood up, leaning over to give James one more kiss to the forehead before smiling softly and leaving the room. Logan smiled at her.

"Your lipstain is a bit smeared." he said softly, with a smirk, gesturing to the side of his own lips. Brooke rolled her eyes and wiped her lips on the sleeves of her shirt. She laughed at Logan's disgusted look.

"What, laundry day is tomorrow anyway!" she chuckled. "Aww, you want some on you!" she reached over and tried to wipe some on his cheek, but he dodged.

"I'm a hockey player, don't think I can't take you." Logan laughed, happy to have his friend back. "So, do you want a ride to school tomorrow?"

"Yeah, if you want to pick me up."

"Well, I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to." Logan chuckled. "Come on." They walked out to the parking lot, and got into his car, driving home in the dark.

"I'm starving." Brooke groaned. "All of this...excitement, it made me hungry." Logan smiled softly. "I missed dinner."

"All of us did. Well, except Carlos...I can't believe he ate James' steak."

"It looked disgusting. Especially with that grey sauce and the mushrooms. Just, ugh!" Brooke laughed. "But my dad made lasagna tonight and it's always so good, and I always eat on lasagna night."

"You should eat every night." Logan murmured softly. Brooke looked guiltily down to her lap.

"I-I am trying." she offered, shrugging. "It's...It's hard to explain. Once you get caught up in this sort of thing, it's so hard to get out. I look at food, most of the time, and it's the biggest threat to me. The little voice in my head always tells me I'm already too fat, that my thighs are huge and my stomach is so round it could be painted and mistaken for an oversized beach ball. That...J-James wouldn't love me if I were to gain weight."

"But you're so thin, Brooke..." Logan crinkled his eyebrows. He glanced at her quickly before turning back to the road. "I know it's a mental disorder more than just simply not eating." Brooke nodded. She'd come to terms with the fact that her brain was a little messed up. "You see yourself as something you're not. And you probably never will be. And James is trying to get you to gain some weight. If you don't mind my asking, how much do you weigh?"

"One hundred and four pounds." Brooke answered in a whisper. Logan held back from dropping his jaw. "I-I know it's unhealthy, I know. Even my BMI chart says I'm underweight, but that voice keeps telling me it's better to be underweight than overweight. And it's more than what I weighed a few weeks ago..."

"Maybe you should talk with your therapist about this?" Logan suggested. "Or do you already?"

"I do." Brooke nodded. "It's just hard to get back on track during a relapse...I'm trying though. Really."

"I know, Brooke." Logan nodded. He gave her a soft smile. "I've read that it's a lot to come back from, and I just want you to know, I'm proud of you, and I support you no matter what." Brooke gave him a smile as he pulled into her driveway.

"Thanks Logie." she whispered, watching him park the car. "That means a lot to me. You're a really great friend."

"I try my best." he smiled again. "I'll pick you up at six-thirty, okay?" Brooke nodded, bit her lip as if she was thinking, and then leaned over, hugging Logan quickly.

"Goodnight Logan. See you tomorrow." she opened the door and climbed out, giving him a wave as he backed out of the driveway and she headed inside.

"Hey, anything happen?" Luke looked up from where he was watching TV with Melanie. Brooke nodded.

"He's awake." a grin broke out onto her face. "He's awake and he's coming home in a few days."

"That's great!" Luke stood up and hugged his daughter, happy that she was finally back again. "I made lasagna, there's some still in the oven. Should be warm, but you might have to heat it up."

"Okay." Brooke set her bag down and went into the kitchen, opening up the oven. She took the lukewarm dish out and set it on the counter, taking a plate and using the serving spatula to get out a large piece of the lasagna, setting it on the plate and shoving it in the microwave before covering the dish with plastic wrap and and setting it in the fridge. The microwave beeped and she grabbed a fork, taking her plate out and setting it at the counter, hopping up on a stool. She looked down at the food, and everything she told Logan started happening. The voices, the anxiety, the worry, it was all flooding back to her. She bit her lip, twirling the fork in between her fingers. James' smile when she entered the hospital room suddenly appeared in her head. Carlos' lopsided, puppy dog grin popped up also, and Logan's supportive smirk floated in, drowning out Brittany's voice, telling her she was going to be alright.

Brooke looked down at the hot meal and smiled, stabbing it with her fork and tearing off a large piece and stuffing it in her mouth, attacking her plate hungrily, not giving a fuck what the calorie count was, or if she was going to regret it in the morning. She wasn't binging, she told herself as she stuffed more of the casserole-like dish into her mouth, chewing greedily as the flavors burst over her taste buds.

Brooke was going to get better, as long as she had her friends, she was going to make it out alive.

* * *

**yay! james is back!**

**reviews are love!**

**xoxo**

**k**


	13. Chapter 13

Ch. 13

"Jesus _Christ_," Brooke groaned, taking deep breaths. She rolled her head to look next to her, at the panting brunette, with a lazy and satisfied smile plastered on his face. "You really missed sex."

"I had a lot of dreams, okay?" James answered with a grin. "You know, if you still have your old uniforms..."

"No." Brooke shook her head, letting out a laugh between breaths. She stared at the ceiling of his bedroom, smiling at the picture he had taped up there. It was a large picture of one of his family barbecues, his mom's old boyfriend at the grill, and Brooke sitting in James' lap by the bonfire. They had been talking quietly to each other, and his mother had her camera, and got their attention, and they both smiled, the picture being everyone's favorite of the two. Taped next to it was the Fall Ball couples pictures from the dance and from Mrs. Knight and Luke.

James broke her gaze and rolled over, kissing her neck and collarbones, making her fingers tangle into his brown locks.

"Are you sure you can handle a fifth round?" she asked. "I promised your mom I'd make you rest." It was true. Brooke was technically supposed to be looking after James while his mother was at work, and she took the day off school to be with him. And the doctors called for plenty of rest. He had been let out a few days earlier, and had little memory loss and no brain damage. The only things he couldn't really remember, from what he told her, were a few childhood memories, but they were only fuzzy, not fully forgotten.

"Shhhh, no talking. Mouths are for kissing." James smirked, kissing her lips, moving his body on top of hers, grinning at the heat between their bodies as their legs intertwined. "Besides, I will rest once I'm satisfied."

"Mm, you were satisfied after round one." Brooke giggled as he bit down a bit hard on her pulse point. "Come on, James, I'm hungry."

"I have some meat for you." James mumbled in her ear, making her laugh more.

"Seriously James, I'm so spent right now." she said softly as he brought his head up and looked at her, glancing over her face a few times before locking eyes with her. "Maybe if I eat and replenish my strength with a nap, you'll get a few more rounds out of me."she finished, giving his bottom lip a teasing lick before smirking. James rolled his eyes and reached over, grabbing his boxer briefs and her panties, handing her the lacy undergarment as he pulled his less frilly one on. He got up and went to fetch his other clothes, tugging on the grey sweats and black tank top as Brooke did up her bra.

"Oh come on, I'm going to have to take that off again?" James whined. Brooke smiled.

"You have to earn something, dear." she winked, bending over and picking up her shorts and t-shirt. She had decided if she was going to spend the day inside, she needn't worry about the cold outside.

"I was in a coma for a month, is that not work enough to earn some good lovin'?" he asked, straightening out his hair as Brooke came up beside him in the mirror to check her own, letting her fingers comb through the tangles that had started to form.

"Not nearly enough." she whispered, passing by him and opening the door. He followed and they stepped out into the long hallway, going down the stairs, and heading to the kitchen.

"What do you want to eat?" James asked as she stood at the open fridge, his arms wrapping around her waist and his lips immediately attaching to her neck, his eyes gazing into the fridge. Brooke lolled her head back so it rested against his shoulder and smiled, loving the way his stubble from not shaving for a few days scratched against her neck.

"I'm thinking mac and cheese." James nodded eagerly and grabbed the milk and a stick of butter, while Brooke went to the cupboard and pulled out a box of extra cheesy mac and cheese. They talked softly to each other as they cooked the simple meal, enjoying the comfortable aloneness.

"Brooke?" James asked quietly, Brooke looked up and gave him a soft smile. "D-Do you think I'll ever really be famous? Like, do you think I'll make it?" Brooke bit her lip.

"Do you want my honest opinion?" she asked, looking up at him. He hesitated before nodding. "I think that you've got what it takes. James, you've got an amazing voice, it's not one that you hear often, so that sets you at the head of the pack. I've never really seen you act, apart from when you're being overdramatic, but you're quite convincing, and I'm sure in a role, you'd step up and do your job. And you're incredibly good-looking. Girls will be swarming all over you from day one and the paps would love it because you'd probably attract a lot of female stars' attention..." she trailed off moving to the sink to drain the noodles.

"You know you're the only one I want." James assured her, knowing why she got quiet, picking up on her subtle jealousy and sadness.

"I wouldn't be upset." Brooke shrugged, moving back to the stove to mix the cheese sauce and noodles. "Fame changes people, even a little bit. Relationships won't always work out, and besides, you want to marry Nicole Scherzinger or a model. Both of which, I am not."

"I don't need them if I have you." Brooke turned from the stove and looked up at him.

"You're sweet." she whispered, hopping up onto her toes and giving him a quick kiss. "But so delusional." James shook his head and kissed her forehead before moving to get bowls for the pasta. He dished out the servings, giving Brooke a bit more when she wasn't looking, getting them glasses of water and taking lemon wedges and putting them on the glasses. They walked from the kitchen after tidying up a bit, and went into the family room, snuggling up on the couch and watching TV as they ate.

* * *

Kendall laid in his bed, his hands behind his head as he stared at the plain white ceiling. He had been in a sulking mood ever since James had woken up. He was happy, of course, that his best friend had woken up, but now Brooke was never home. She was never around at school, sneaking off to the bathroom during breaks to call James on the phone, or skipping classes to go and see him. Kendall had stopped sending her notes and gifts when James had been sent to the hospital, knowing that it would've been rude, and he had more of an advantage for physical contact while she was so emotional. He liked her, he had realized. A lot. At first, it was an infatuation with why she was keeping secrets, and why she wasn't accepting of him and his boy-next-door personality, but now it was more.

Kendall loved the way her hips swayed when she walked, the way she licked her lips before speaking or applying her latte-colored lipstick, the way her wavy dark brown hair fell over her shoulders and framed her face, making the amber flecks in her eyes pop and dazzle anyone who looked into them. Brooke's lips were his favorite, though. They were plump, but not huge and bumpy looking like Angelina Jolie's, but they weren't thin and barely there, either. They were just right, and he wanted the freedom to kiss them whenever he liked. His own lips tingled with the thought of kissing Brooke, and he let his imagination wander as a light snow began to fall outside his window.

A knock at his door brought him out of his fantasy and he sat up, putting a pillow in his lap to hide his tent.

"Come in." he said. Jennifer's head popped in and she smiled at her son, and came over and stood next to his bed.

"I just came in to say goodnight, sweetie." she explained, leaning down and kissing the top of his head. "But you look like you have something on your mind. Wanna talk?" Kendall thought for a moment, knowing he always could tell his mother everything.

"I kind of really like a girl..." he began, sighing as he anxiously rubbed the back of his neck. "But she has a boyfriend, and they're really in love with each other. But I can't get over her, mom." Jennifer sat down next to him on the bed, and nodded.

"You mean Brooke?" Kendall's eyes widened in surprise as Jennifer wore a tiny smirk.

"How-"

"I'm a mom, Kendall. I know these things. And I've seen the way you look at her." she explained, rolling her eyes, showing a bit of relatable youth to her son. "I'm surprised James can't see it and hasn't beaten you to a pulp, with all those gifts you were sending her right under his nose."

"Oh gee, thanks mom." Kendall said. "What do I do?" Jennifer sighed and decided to tell her son the truth.

"Honey, I think you need to leave her be." she answered softly, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What she has with James is something she really needs right now. Trust me on that. And maybe it won't last as long as you think it will, and if you be a good friend to her now, she'll maybe start to develop feeling back later."

"But why James? He always gets the girls, mom. Why couldn't it be my turn?" he asked. Jennifer shrugged, and stood back up.

"Well, he was a gentleman and did things for her. You were kind of a jerk." Kendall's jaw dropped. "What? You were, you admitted it yourself. Just, be there for her. You'd be surprised how being a good friend can lead to something more. Goodnight, honey." she left the room, shutting his door softly behind her. Kendall moved his pillow back behind him and laid back, groaning. For once, his mother wasn't helpful at all. He didn't want to be a good friend, he wanted to be where James probably was right that very moment, either laying next to her or on top of her.

He wanted to be her lover, _not_ friend.

But friend was better than nothing, right? Even if it made him upset whenever she held hands with James, or hugged Carlos for a second too long, or whispered something into Logan's ear to make him laugh. Kendall was a jealous boy, he'd admit it. But Brooke should've been his from day one, when he introduced himself at the car after she caught the rogue ball from his hockey game. But she bought into James' charm, and now she'd seen the real him, the sweet, soft side of the vain teenager, and was hooked. Kendall didn't have another side. He was just Kendall. Nothing to find or figure out, and apparently that was what Brooke wanted or needed. A puzzle to find a solution for.

"I'll give her a solution." he mumbled to himself, turning over and pushing his head farther into the pillow, settling down for a restless sleep.

* * *

Brooke laughed as she danced between Logan and James, Logan's dance moves having barely improved since the dance two months ago. The heat in the Diamond household was a complete parallel to the frigid December air outside. The bodies of nearly a hundred teens packed in tight, celebrating the end of the first semester of school. James had an arm wrapped around Brooke's waist, and a red cup filled with liquor in the other, matching Brooke's. They were both slightly buzzed, laughing and dancing to the music with their friends. Nicole and Maddie were running around, drunk off their asses, throwing toilet paper around everyone's shoulders like it was tinsel or boas. Carlos was in the kitchen, eating his weight in pretzels and chips while slamming down a few beers between, stating the slightly bitter taste was better when it was mixed with salty snacks.

"I have to pee." Brooke yelled over the thumping music to James, who nodded, leaning down and sloppily kissing her before letting her go, swatting her on the bottom before she left his reach. She cackled and ascended stairs to the off-limits area of the house, up to the bathroom. She set her drink down on the sink counter before doing her business, then washing her hands and fixing her hair and makeup in the mirror. After pulling down the hem of her tight, short dress and smoothing it down before going to the door and opening it.

"Jesus Christ!" she gasped, not expecting to see Kendall standing right outside the door, making her jump back and the rest of her drink sloshing out of her cup. "God dammit, Kendall, why'd you do that for? Now my drink is ruined." she mumbled, looking down into the cup sadly. Kendall held back his laugh and cleared his throat, bringing her attention back to him.

"Can we talk?" he asked, nodding towards one of the bedrooms. Brooke shrugged and nodded following him closely, slightly stumbling as she hopped over the puddle of alcohol on the carpet she and James were going to have to scrub out in the morning. Kendall opened the door to one of the guest rooms and let Brooke in. She went and sat on the bed, still holding the cup in her hand as she watched Kendall shut the door.

"What do you want to talk about Kenny?" she asked. Kendall furrowed his eyebrows, as he walked over to stand in front of her.

"Brooke, are you drunk?" she shook her head.

"I'm a bit buzzed though. I can still say the alphabet backwards though! Z, Y, X, uh...W! Um...oh fuck it, I can't even do that sober." Brooke shrugged. "Now, what do you need?"

"I just, I need you to know something." Kendall said, beginning to pace. "And I know that you probably couldn't care less about my feelings or anything, but Brooke I love you. I really think that I do, and if you could just, maybe, I don't know, accept that, then maybe..." he trailed off, hearing faint giggling. Kendall looked to the bed to see Brooke giggling, covering her mouth with her free hand as they grew louder, before finally she was full-on laughing, Kendall standing in front of her, staring incredulously.

"What are you laughing at?" he asked, throwing his arms out to the side. Brooke took a few deep breaths, steadying herself.

"You think you _love me_!" she grinned, cackling and rolling back onto the bed, her cup falling out of her hand and rolling to the floor. "Oh my god. You're really something, you know that, Knight?"

"I'm not joking. I love you." Kendall insisted. "I'm in love with you, Brooke!" the girl laughed even harder and stood up, going over to him, biting her lip as she tried to try and be serious to tell him something, placing a hand on his shoulder, but ultimately failing as she burst into a new fit of giggles.

"You're pathetic." she laughed. "Really, this is rich. Let me guess, you're in love with me, because I'm the girl who said no. I didn't fall for your boy scout routine and penchant for helping people, and it was something new and exciting and you want a taste of it." Kendall stammered his reply, but she cut him off. "Just leave me alone, Kendall." Brooke pushed past him and left the room, walking down the hallway and going down the stairs, Kendall following hot on her heels, his temper beginning to flare.

"Brooke, we're not done talking." he called after her before she made it halfway down the stairs. She kept going, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Yes, we are, Kendall. Go away." she made it down the stairs and left Kendall behind standing at the bottom of the staircase. She made her way over to James and took his hand, giving him a smile as he continued his conversation with Logan and Carlos.

"Brooke, come on, let's go talk." Kendall hissed from behind her. Brooke turned around and glared at him.

"Stop it. I don't fucking care about your feelings for me. You're being an asshole. I'm not leaving James for you, and I'm not a whore."

"Oh, really? At least I didn't fuck a teacher and had to move to start over!" the moment the words escaped his lips the room went silent, and Brooke turned fully, her eyes wide and body beginning to shake.

* * *

**review for the next chapter!**

**xoxo**

**k**


	14. Chapter 14

Ch. 14

Brooke stood completely still, her face an array of emotions, not a one staying for more than a second before another took its place. He'd known everything, the consensual sex, the rape, he'd known it all along. The house was quiet as everyone stared at her, Kendall breathing heavily as anger and regret mixed into his face. Logan and Carlos shared looks, neither believing what they had just heard. James' hand had left Brooke's, leaving her cold and him confused, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked between his best friend and girlfriend.

Not being able to handle the stares and the judgmental silence anymore, she turned and bolted from the room, out of the house, and into the freezing December air. She ran down the street, ignoring the calls for her to come back, ignoring how the cold wind slapped her face and stung as tears rolled down her cheeks, feeling as if she were being cut into pieces. Brooke ran a few minutes longer, making it to her house and running up the stairs to her bedroom, throwing open her laptop and waking it up, hastily grabbing her bag and digging through for her wallet, grabbing her emergency credit card. She went onto the first travel site she could think of and booked a one-way ticket to an escape. She had to leave. She couldn't be in Sherwood anymore. It was tainted with her past.

"Brooke!" she turned, the voice from downstairs startling her. The front door slammed and she clicked print on the confirmation before shutting her laptop and running out of her room, and down the stairs. Kendall was standing in the foyer, staring up at her.

"Get out." Brooke said sternly, glaring at him. "Get out. Get out! _GET OUT!_"

"Brooke, stop being such a fucking bitch and get down here." Kendall rolled his eyes, moving towards the stairs. Brooke stepped down the stairs and came close to him, then reached up and slapped him harshly across the face, forcing his head to turn off the the side.

"Now get out."

"Brooke, please, if anything, I just did you a favor. Now you don't have to hide anything." Kendall said, rubbing his jaw. "You should be thanking me."

"No. No Kendall, you don't get to do this!" Brooke yelled. "You don't get to stand there like a fucking saint while I suffer from you bringing up my dirty little secrets. Do you think I'm fucking proud of what I did? I was stupid. I was a stupid, fucking sheep! I followed whatever Brittany told me to do. I moved here, because my mother left my little sister and I because she couldn't bear to face anyone after word spread that her daughter fucked a teacher and got raped by him. She. Left. Us."

"Brooke, I didn't-"

"What? Your super-sleuthing didn't tell you that?" Brooke snarled. "My dad was _forced_ to come get us. We had to leave the state because the story was all over. My life back home was in ruins. I'm finally making a new one, and you come in and you make me feel like I did before it all happened. You make me blush and make me feel how I did when _he_ fell in love with me, and make me feel everything is normal again and I hate that about you, Kendall." Tears were cascading from her eyes, the wall that hid everything finally broken. Kendall moved quickly across the room and pulled Brooke into his arms and leaned down and kissed her, his hand tangling into the dark locks of her hair. Brooke immediately kissed back, placing a hand on his jaw to bring him impossibly closer.

Kendall reluctantly pulled away from her lips for air, seeing more tears falling down her cheeks.

"I don't want to be broken anymore, Kendall." she whispered, her voice cracking as she finally admitted her fatal flaw. "Fix me." before he could say a word, she pulled his lips back down to hers, initiating their second kiss. He felt her tongue skimming his bottom lip, begging for entry. Kendall obliged and deepened the kiss, his hands roaming her back and massaging it whenever they stopped moving in the frenzied heat.

"Bedroom?" he asked as they pulled apart. Brooke nodded and they rushed up the stairs of the Montgomery's empty home. Kendall couldn't help himself as he pushed her roughly against the wall in the hallway, kissing her. He didn't care that she had been with James, he didn't care that she was damaged goods. She was going to be the only thing he had ever wanted her to be. His.

Kendall's hands tugged at her thighs and she jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he supported her, pushing her back into wall more. Her hands gripped his shoulders and hair, her need of him growing more and more urgent as his hips ground against hers. Kendall moved back, and carried her to her bedroom, kicking the door open and shut, the laying Brooke down on the bed. He sat up, kneeling above her and pulled his plaid shirt over his head and tossed it to the side, then proceeded to pull Brooke's shirt over her own head and leaned down to kiss her, trailing his kisses down her jaw, stopping and licking and biting at her neck, making her whimper and arch her back off her messy bed.

He continued kissing and licking his way down her body, past her chest and stopped at her belly button, his tongue playing with the dangling piercing.

"Kendall.." Brooke whispered as his fingertips grazed the waistband of her jeans. He smirked and quickly unbuttoned them and pulled them down. He sat back and surveyed the body of his affection, savoring the way the black lace hugged her frame and accentuated her hips and breasts, making Kendall all the more eager to pull those off her as well. Before his hands could make contact with her body again, she came forward, sitting up on her knees so she was eye level with him. She gently traced his collarbones with her soft fingertips before looking into his eyes. For a few moments, that was all they needed, just looking into each others' eyes, and for once seeing the truth.

Brooke licked her lips slowly before leaning her lips up to his, kissing him slowly and deeply, changing the pace of their escapade. Kendall wordlessly obliged and slowed down, his hands on fire as they rested on her hips, holding her to him. Her hands traced their path down to his jeans, lingering in the trail of slightly coarse hair that led down between his hips. She placed her hands on the buckle of his belt and skillfully undid it, and unbuttoned the pants, pushing them down as far as they would go in their position. Kendall gently pushed her back and she moved, laying down on her back before propping herself up on her elbows and watching him kick off his jeans before moving and hovering over her.

"I meant what I said, you know." he whispered, nuzzling the side of her face with his nose and kissing her earlobe and nibbling on it,

"What?" Brooke asked, lifting her hips to grind against his, making him groan.

"I really love you." Brooke looked into his eyes and kissed his lips, distracting him and tugging at his boxers. Kendall reached behind her and unhooked her bra, pulling the material down her arms and tossing it aside, moving his mouth to the sensitive nubs and licking one, kneading the other, then switching. He came back up and kissed her lips again, his tongue quickly pushing its way into her mouth and battling hers for dominance. He won, and pushed her fully back, balancing on one hand as he tugged his own boxers down and pulled her panties down quickly after.

Kendall dipped his head and moved down the bed, placing his head between her thighs and softly blowing cool air on the wet, sensitive skin, making Brooke gasp and moan at the sensations. She couldn't handle anymore teasing as she pulled him up and wrapped her hand around his hardening cock, moving it up and down, listening to Kendall's loud growl in her ear as he thrusted into her hand. Kendall reached down and removed her hand, sitting up and positioning himself between her legs. He looked into her eyes and she nodded, giving him permission to thrust into her. Brooke tossed her head back and moaned loudly as Kendall pulled out and pushed back in, a slow and hard pace being set. He laid his body on top of hers, allowing himself to be closer.

"Fuck Brooke." Kendall growled again, clenching his eyes shut as she met his thrusts and dug her nails into his back. "So tight."

"Mmm," Brooke moaned, arching her back as Kendall's thrusts picked up speed. He sat up, lifting her hips and hitting just the right spot, making Brooke moan louder and grip the sheets.

'Kendall!" she groaned, her walls beginning to tighten around him. Kendall grunted and sped up his pace even more, Brooke quickly reaching her peak as Kendall did, both shouting out and moaning loudly. Kendall fell down on top of Brooke, holding her close and peppering her neck with sloppy kisses as they regained their breath. After a few moments, he pulled out and rolled over onto his back. Brooke curled up into his side as he pulled a thin sheet over their cooling bodies, and kissed the side of her head, his breathing quickly slowing and falling into a peaceful rhythm as his eyes drifted closed.

Brooke laid next to him for an hour, making sure he was really asleep before getting up and crawling over him, making sure not to jostle his sleeping form. She quickly pulled on her undergarments and picked up a pair of jeans she had sitting out from before the party, and pulled them on, and pulling on a t-shirt and grabbing a sweater. She looked at the clock and grabbed her large duffel, going to her drawers and silently and quickly pulling out all her clothes and taking her favorite shirts from her closet and stuffing them into the bag. She went into her bathroom, and put her necessities into the bag as well, before entering her bedroom again, freezing as Kendall groaned in his sleep and turned over. She waited a few moments before moving again, going to her desk and sitting down, grabbing a pen and opening her notebook.

_Daddy, Melanie, and whom ever else it may concern,_

_I'm sorry, but I have to leave. It's not a teenage runaway case, really, but I'm leaving so you guys can be a family, and not have to worry about me anymore. The secret is out. Someone found out, and they spilled it, and by now, it's probably around the entire neighborhood. I can't stand knowing that you guys are going to have to go through all the pain again, and try and keep my good name. Well, let's face it, I haven't had a good name for a while...Once I get where I'm going, I'll call and let you know where I am. Please don't come after me, and please, please, just let me do this. Maybe if I do things myself, I can fix everything, and not be a burden on you all ever again. I'm placing a note in here for James. I don't care if you read it, but I would prefer if it can stay between him and myself; it's probably going to be the last words I'll ever get to say to him._

_I'm sorry, Daddy. I'll stay in touch, I promise, and I will come back if things get better. I love you, and please tell Melanie that I love her to pieces and back. _

_All my love,_

_Brooke_

_P.S. The jeep is still at the airport. I hope you can get Jennifer to give you a ride and you can go and get it. I know you don't like the idea of the car just sitting there._

Brooke wiped the tears away from her face and turned the page, starting on a fresh sheet.

_James, _

_When you read this, I'll be gone. In a different state, beginning a different life. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry you had to find out it all like this. I was going to tell you, but I wasn't ready to yet. I love you, I love you so much, and it's killing me to write this letter to you. I can't tell you where I'm going, and you'll find out why, I'm sure soon. I feel like telling you everything that happened before you met me in a letter doesn't do any justice to the anger and pain you're feeling, either about me leaving, not telling you before, or both. But I'm going to do my best, giving you the short version, as I don't have much time._

_Back in my old school, I wasn't popular. Brittany Berconia was, and when her friend moved away, I took her place. We went everywhere together, told each other everything, and she's the reason for everything that's wrong with me. It was fun for a while, and then everything got boring, and she decided to dare me to flirt with a teacher. Mr. Jenkins was young and handsome, and I was one of his favorite students, so it wasn't hard. As the dare went on, the suggestions got heavier, until I ultimately and stupidly slept with him. It's the biggest regret of my life, besides doing this and leaving you. After I had slept with him, I stopped the dare all together, not being able to handle it anymore. Mr. Jenkins didn't like the fact that I stopped flirting with him, and he decided to get me back, and one day after school, he locked me in his classroom and raped me. Before he got too far with it, my screams alerted a janitor, who, along with campus security handled the situation, and I dropped out of the school. The news was all over Indiana before I even could press charges. After a week of invasions of privacy, my mother left Melanie and I, not being able to handle the judgements and we were on our own. Our father came and got us, sold the house, and we moved here. Then I met you. _

_I felt like I could be someone new with you, James. And I was. I loved it. I loved you. You made me feel like my past didn't happen, and that everything was okay, and I could have fun and love and have a life again. Please never doubt that I loved you, even though I'm leaving. As I said before, it's killing me to do this. I don't know how long I'll be gone, and I wouldn't blame you if you moved on. I don't expect a handsome and charming young man like you to be alone for a long time. _

_I can't say enough how much I love you, and I'm sorry about everything, and I'm sorry about Kendall._

_Yours, Always, _

_Brooke_

_P.S. Please tell Carlos and Logan I love them, as well. _

Brooke kept holding back her tears and flipped to another new page, keeping this message simple as she scribbled it down. She stood up, grabbing her cellphone and stuffing it in her jean pocket and grabbing the charger from the wall, along with her laptop and its charger, stuffing them into the duffel and then glancing back up at her desk. She reached over and grabbed the picture frame, that held the photo of her and James from the barbecue. She stuffed it into the duffel, along with a picture of her family. Brooke zipped up the bag quickly, looking over at the sleeping boy in her bed, making sure he wasn't awake. She picked up her note book and as quietly as she could, ripped the three pieces of paper out. She folded them, and placed one on her bedside table, picking up her duffle and purse and leaving. She went downstairs and into her fathers den, and placed a piece of paper with his name on it on the table where he sets his coffee when he comes home from work in the mornings. Folded inside of it was James' letter and she bit her lip, looking around the room one more time before leaving.

* * *

Kendall rolled over and reached out, grasping at the body that was supposed to be next to him. All he hugged to him was air and he cracked open an eye, noting the bed was empty. He sat up, the sheet falling around his waist as he looked around the dark bedroom. He leaned over and turned on the light, and furrowed his eyebrows, noting that the closet had been flung open and drawers were pulled. Kendall pulled the covers off and grabbed his boxers, pulling them on before going to the bathroom and knocking on the door, opening it and looking in after getting no reply. The crease between his furry eyebrows deepened when he saw the once-folded piece of paper by the bed.

Walking over to it, he picked it up, and opened it up.

_You finally got what you wanted. I hope you're happy. Because I'm disgusted._

_-Brooke_

Kendall stared down at the paper, anger and regret boiling under his skin as he read the scribbled words over and over again. He couldn't believe it. He looked around the floor, locating his jeans and pulling them on, shoving the note into his front pocket. He grabbed his shirt, pulling it on as he left her room, and heading down the stairs.

"Brooke?" he called, peering into the kitchen. He turned and looking into the living room and went into the foyer, getting ready to head home, thinking she had gone back to James, and he'd definitely need his sleep if Brooke told James what had just happened.

* * *

"Excuse me miss?" Brooke looked up from the magazine in her hands, tearing her eyes away from the article about a celebrity she couldn't give two shits about. It was all she had to keep her distracted from the fact she was on a plane, heading to California, with a small bag of possessions and credit card. The steward who had caught her attention smiled softly. "Would you like something to drink? It's complimentary."

"C-Can I get water?" Brooke asked, quietly. The steward nodded and pulled a tiny bottle of water out of the cart, handing it to the girl. Brooke smiled thankfully and unscrewed the cap, taking a sip as the steward pushed the cart past her down the aisle. The cool water was refreshing against her tight throat. She hadn't allowed herself to cry yet, being focused on her flight and getting to where she needed to go. After capping the bottle, she held it in her lap and tilted her head back, closing her eyes.

Had Kendall awoke yet? Had her father found the note? It was already time for her father to go to work, back home. Her mind raced with questions as her stomach churned with sick anticipation of getting off the flight and turning her phone on, looking at all the missed calls from family and friends. She didn't want them to worry. Brooke wouldn't be able to hear their voices, especially James'. She felt awful for everything. But she couldn't turn back now. She had to keep running so her past couldn't find her.

After landing and getting her duffle, Brooke went to the phone booths and found a phone book, and flipped it open. She searched for the last name and smiled softly as it stood out. She quickly wrote down the number and address, and shut the book, setting it back into the booth. Brooke walked out of the airport, bags on her shoulders, and hailed a taxi, giving him the address. Brooke watched the life going past her as she rode in the back of the cab. Restaurants were just opening up, shopkeepers were unlocking their doors, parents were taking their kids to school. A few limos passed and Brooke looked up at the sign about the freeway. Los Angeles. The cab pulled up to a nice house and Brooke handed him the credit card, taking it and the receipt back and getting out of the cab, grabbing her bags. The cab pulled away as she took a deep breath and walked up the driveway, nervously adjusting the straps of her bags on her shoulders. She made it up the drive and walked up to the door, counting to three and taking another deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

A few moments later, shuffling was heard from behind the door, and through the tinted glass on the sides, she saw faint movement. The door opened and Brooke smiled hesitantly.

"Hi." she said, surveying the person. "Remember me?"

* * *

_oooohh who's behind the door? _

_reviews are love!_

_xoxo_

_k_


	15. Chapter 15

Ch. 15

James Diamond sat on the couch in the Montgomery household. He had come over to see Brooke, and ask her what was going on. After she had run out of the party, everyone started talking and half of them were too drunk to remember what had jut been said. Logan and Carlos had started to clear everyone out, James frozen to the spot. Once everyone had left, Logan came back and Carlos shut the door, both standing in front of their taller friend. They decided to let everything cool down, and in the morning they'd go over to Brooke's house and see her.

Luke was pacing in front of the three boys sitting on the couch who looked awestruck at the news they had just received. Melanie was sitting in the recliner, tears running down her face, fearing her sister was living on the streets and might be hurt.

"She hasn't called yet?" Logan asked softly, looking up at the weary, middle-aged man, who was clutching his phone in his hand.

"No." Luke shook his head. "She said she'd call once she figured out where and what she was doing. It's all in this note." he handed it to Logan, and Carlos leaned over, reading over his shoulder. "She uh, she left one especially for you, James." Luke handed to folded up paper addressed to the tall brunette, and he took it. He unfolded the paper slowly, looking at his girlfriends messy scrawl, noting she was rushing as she wrote. His eyebrows furrowed and his frown increased as he read on, angry tears welling up in his eyes as he read about her reasons for moving. He instantly hated Jenkins and Brittany, wanting to find them and hurt them as much as they hurt her.

"She sends her love." he whispered, his voice hoarse. Logan and Carlos looked over at him as they set down Brooke's letter to her family, and James shoved his into their hands. The two boys read it over and looked up to Luke.

"How could someone be so bad to her?" Carllos asked, his innocence showing as tears welled up in his sad eyes. "I don't understand..."

"She feels partly to blame for it." Logan said, reading into her personality and what was in the letters. "Why didn't we see anything else? We were so preoccupied with our own lives and her eating disorder..."

"I have to find her." James said, standing up. Logan looked up at him as Carlos jumped up too.

"Let's go!" the Latino said, going over and grabbing James' arm, tugging him towards the door.

"Guys, sit down. We don't know where she is, and even if we did, I doubt your parents would let you on a rescue mission. She could be halfway to Spain right now." Luke said. James stuck his tongue in his cheek and shook his head.

"I can't just sit here and wait, Luke."

"You're going to have to until we know more." Luke answered him. "I know you think you love her-"

"I do love her." James cut in, giving Luke a determined look.

"I know, and I'm sure she loves you too." the older man sighed. "But she won't come home until she wants to. I know my daughter." The doorbell rang and Luke moved past the two standing teens and went to the door, opening it to see the Knights. Katie ran in and went over to Melanie, immediately comforting her friend.

"Luke, I got your message." Jennifer said. "We came over as soon as I heard it, are you alright?"

"Waiting for Brooke to call and tell me where she is." he sighed, moving so Jennifer and Kendall could come in the house. He shut the door behind them and gestured Jennifer to the kitchen, talking about brewing a new pot of coffee. Kendall stood around with the guys, Katie and Melanie going up the stairs, Katie trying to cheer her up.

"No news, I take it?" James shook his head, looking at Kendall.

"Can you explain something to me?" he asked, taking out the note Brooke had written to him. "Why does this say 'Sorry about Kendall'? What did you do?"

Kendall took the note and glanced it over. He shrugged, shaking his head. He wasn't going to tell James about the previous night if he didn't have to, and figured that he was hurting enough as it was.

"Brooke probably felt bad about her terrible relationship with Kendall, and the tension it was causing in the group." Logan sighed. "It's understandable. She'd talked about it before."

"I miss Brooke." Carlos whined softly, letting himself fall onto the couch with a pout. "What are we going to do if she doesn't come back?"

"She'll come back." James said. "If not, I'm going to her."

"Be real, James." Kendall said. "You're going to forget about her in a few months and move on. You know you will. The next hot piece of ass that comes to town will have you distracted."

"Hey, shut the fuck up Kendall." James said, shaking his head angrily. "I'm not giving up on Brooke. I love her, and she's gone because _you_ fucked up and spilled everything to pretty much the entire school. Now everyone around town knows and she had barely come to terms with it! You were a fucking asshole!"

"It's not my fault she was a bitch! If she would've been honest from the beginning-"

"Oh what? Hi my name is Brooke, I was raped by a teacher, what's your name?!" James yelled sarcastically. "Fuck you, Kendall."

"Guys!" Logan stepped between the two, who kept inching towards each other as if they were about to fight. "Stop it. Brooke is gone, and fighting isn't going to make her want to come back, this is part of why she left. She didn't want to cause any trouble between anyone."

All the boys looked dejectedly around the room. The silence resonated through the living room and made everyone's bones rattle.

"So what do we do?" Carlos asked softly, looking up at them. Logan rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"We continue our lives. Deal with it a day at a time." he said. "We're going to have to move on."

"No." James shook his head.

"You don't have to move on from Brooke, but you have to move on with your life." Logan clarified. He sighed and sat next to Carlos on the couch again.

"I hope she's okay." Carlos murmured, everyone nodding in agreement. Every mind was on the brunette girl and the possibilities of where she could be and what was happening.

Carlos was dreaming Brooke was traveling along the streets of New York City, a tiny rascal of a dog her companion and watched over her as she slept and was a lively, vivacious vagabond, like the female, American version of Aladdin before he was Prince Ali. The dog's fur would keep her warm at night if she had to sleep in an alley, and it would protect her if anything or anyone tried to hurt her.

Logan was thinking more logical, that she was in Chicago, sitting in a coffee shop, planning out where she might go next, or figuring out some place to stay. That Brooke was sipping on a small vanilla latte and looking at a map of the city, looking for a cheap hotel to stay in until she figured out her next move, maybe with a nice person helping her out, showing her where to go.

James thought she was on a beach in California, waiting for him. As selfish as it was, he couldn't think of anything else. He thought of her sitting in the sand on a beach, biting her lip the way she did when she was thinking, and her thoughts were on him. All he had to do was get famous and he'd find her. He'd make sure she was the first thing he ever found when he got to LA.

Kendall's thoughts were more basic. That she really hadn't gone anywhere but was still in state, despite what she wrote in the letters. That she was in Minneapolis, hanging out until everything blew over. She was in a nice hotel room and was laying in bed, watching HBO and eating chocolates she bought before getting the room.

Either way, they all wished the best for her.

* * *

"B-Brooke?" The nearly identical girl asked. Her brown eyes were darker, missing the flecks of amber, and she had a tiny beauty mark above the left side of her lips, which were quirked curiously. Her chocolate brown hair was in shiny spiral curls, cascading over her thin, pale shoulders. She was dressed slightly classy, with a hint of more casual in her dress, and denim skinny jeans. "Brooke, is that you?"

"Yeah. Hi, Camille." Brooke smiled softly. "C-Can I come in?"

"Oh..yeah sure." Camille stepped back, allowing Brooke to come in. "Um, I don't mean to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

"Listen, I'm sorry, Cam, really, I am." Brooke said, using the childhood nickname for the girl. "I-I kind of...well, I didn't run away, but I kinda...left?" Camille stared at her cousin in confusion.

"So you're here unannounced and you didn't run away?" she asked, pointing with her fingers as if she were physically moving the sentence around to make sense of it.

"Kind of." Brooke sighed. "Someone let slip what happened in Indiana and I left before it could get out of hand. I left my dad a note."

"Well, come on, mom and dad will want to know you're here." Camille smiled and lead her cousin into the kitchen, where her father was cooking breakfast as her mother packed a lunch.

"Oh Camille, did you want ham on rye, or roast beef on wheat?" the older woman looked up and stopped her movements, holding two loaves of bread in her hands. "Oh! Brooke!"

"Hey Aunt Maggie." Brooke gave a little wave. "Uncle Nick."

"Sweetie, were you scheduled to visit? I don't remember Luke calling..." Nick said, turning off the stove top.

"That's the thing, he didn't." Brooke said quietly. "I'm really, really sorry for intruding, but I kinda had to leave for a bit, and it was really impromptu."

"What do you mean, 'leave for a bit'?" Maggie asked, giving the girl a curious look. Brooke tried to speak, stumbling over her words.

"Someone found out about Indiana, and she left before anyone could harass her about it." Camille stepped in. "She said she left Uncle Luke a note..."

"So, do you need a place to stay?" Maggie asked, her face softening. Brooke nodded slightly.

"I'm being rude, and I feel awful that I put you into a forced position." she said. "But you guys were the only other family I had and I couldn't think of anywhere else to go..."

"You just hush." Maggie said, putting down the bread and moving around the counter, gathering her niece into her arms and squeezing her tight. "You're welcome here anytime you need, and I'd rather have you here than out in the streets."

"Thanks Aunt Maggie." Brooke smiled, returning the hug. She pulled away, yawning, covering it with her hand.

"Oh you must be tired, it's only nine in the morning." Nick said. "You must've left pretty late last night..."

"I took a red-eye." Brooke admitted.

"Camille, why don't you show Brooke to the guest room so she can rest and get washed up." Maggie suggested. Camille smiled and nodded grabbed Brooke's duffel, beckoning her to follow. Brooke gave a grateful smile to her aunt and uncle and followed her cousin up the stairs.

"I'm actually really glad you're here." Camille said, turning her head to glance back at Brooke. "I've missed you, Brooke."

"I've missed you too." Brooke smiled. "It sucks, the circumstances, you know, but the only thing I thought of when I was in my hurry to leave was the forts we used to build to keep monsters out when we were little, and I remember you moved just outside L.A."

"Aww, that's cute." Camille smiled. "Well, here we are. The guest room." she opened the door and let Brooke walk in before following her.

"Thanks Camille." Brooke nodded to her. She looked around the room.

"No problem. The bathroom is right across the hall, and towels are in the cabinet next to the sink, if you want to shower later." Camille gestured out the door. "My room is next door and mom and dad are down the hall."

"Okay, cool." Brooke smiled. There was an awkward air between the two teen girls for a moment, before Camille broke into a grin and closed the space between them, hugging Brooke tightly.

"I'm just happy you're here." she said. "I've got an audition for a TV show in about an hour, and then some errands to run for mom and dad, but maybe later we can go see a movie if you feel up to it. I can tell your mind is going to start racing as soon as you're alone, and I don't want you to be sad. You're in sunny California! Leave it all behind."

"You're right." Brooke grinned slightly. "Thanks Cam. I might just take you up on that movie. I came here to forget, so I might as well start right away."

"Good." Camille chuckled as Brooke yawned. "I'll see you later, let you rest and all. Sleep tight."

"Good luck on your audition."

"Thanks." Camille shut the door behind her and Brooke sat down on the queen sized bed. She sighed, opening her duffel and taking out her sleep shorts and tank top. She drew the blinds shut and changed, tossing her dirty clothes at the foot of the bed, sleep overwhelming her, having gotten none in the last 24 hours. Brooke climbed onto the bed and crawled under the covers, the cool air from the AC chilling her body. As she thought about everything, trying to empty her mind. She thought about James, and how hurt he probably was then. Tears slipped out the corners of her eyes and she took a deep breath, turning over and wiping them away. She did this for him, in a way. To keep his name clean and let him live his life without anymore of her baggage.

"I'm so sorry." she whispered, knowing that he'd never hear her. "I love you."

* * *

Maggie Holloway paced the kitchen after her husband had taken their daughter to her umpteenth audition. Luke was probably going crazy back in Minnesota, noting Brooke hadn't mentioned a phone call. What was she to do? Keep the girl until she was eighteen and then send her out into the world? Lord knows she didn't have a very good mother, the way she got caught up in all that trouble out in Indiana. Sighing, Maggie picked up the phone and dialed her brother's number.

"Maggie! I can't talk right now, Brooke-"

"Brooke is here, Luke." Maggie sighed again, cutting off her brother. "She's here with me, safe and sound, asleep in the guest room."

"H-how?" Luke asked, crinkling his eyebrows. "I didn't think she'd make it that far..."

"From what she said, she took a red-eye flight out here, and a cab all the way to the house." Maggie answered. "I had Camille take her upstairs a few minutes ago so she could rest before calling you, and then I decided I should at least let you know she was safe."

"Thanks, Maggie." Luke said, gratefully, nodding his head on the other side of the phone, ignoring the four boys who were staring at him intently. "Is she okay?"

"I don't really know. I think I'll talk with her after dinner tonight." Maggie informed him. "The poor thing looked exhausted. She said that someone found out about Indiana?"

"Yeah, that's what she wrote to me as well. Said they pretty much spread it all over the school or something." Luke compared, not noticing the three glares set against the blonde boy in the room. "I really thought this move would've been good for us. That we could stop running from that nightmare."

"Running doesn't always solve everything." Maggie shrugged. "What do you want me to do with Brooke? I'm perfectly fine with her staying her as long as she needs to, as long as you are. If not, I'll have her on the first flight tomorrow."

"She won't stay if you send her back. She'll go somewhere else." Luke sighed. Maggie smiled, thinking of how her niece and brother were exactly like each other. "If you don't mind keeping her for a bit?"

"I'll take care of her. Besides, it'll be nice for Camille to have a friend, she really doesn't have many..."

"Thanks so much, Maggie." Luke said, thanking god for the day his parents decided to give him a little sister.

"It's not a problem." she answered back with a soft smile, though he couldn't see it. "I'll make sure she calls you when she feels up to it. She's got a lot on her mind, for a seventeen year old to handle."

"Okay. Just, keep her safe." Luke sighed. Maggie chuckled on the other line.

"You act like I haven't dealt with a teenage girl before."

"You were never a teenage girl, you stayed a child." Luke smiled for the first time in hours. "I'll go tell everyone the news. Thanks for calling, Mags."

"No problem, Lukes." they each smiled at the childhood nicknames and hung up the phones.

Four boys stared up at Luke Montgomery with wide eyes as Jennifer brought Katie and Melanie down from upstairs.

"So?" James asked, rubbing his clammy palms on his jean-clad thighs. "Where is she?"

"She's with her aunt, uncle and cousin." Luke said. "She's safe, she's fine. Maggie put her to bed, so she's resting. She's going to call later."

"Well, it's good she's not on the streets." Logan said, dismally optimistic. James shook his head and looked back up at Luke.

"But where is she?" he asked. Luke sighed and looked down at the boy. In the past few months, he'd been able to win his daughter's heart, and make her a young girl again, and not the stoic, depressed lump of a human she had been before the move. He could feel the anguish from James' broken heart radiating off him, and felt sympathetic for him.

"She's in California." he said softly. "That's where Maggie and her family live. She's going to be staying there for a while."

"Can I go?" James asked. "I'll sort it all out with my mom." Luke shook his head as Jennifer spoke up.

"Sweetie, Brooke ran to be alone. As much as it doesn't make sense, and it hurts, I think the last thing she'd want is for you to chase after her so abruptly. Give her time to cool down. This is a big deal, none of you are ready for that."

"Mama Knight, I know Brooke." James pleaded, trying to get her to see reason. "She wouldn't have left without expecting me to follow her."

"Then she expected for us to hold her ground for her." Carlos said, a look of determination on his face as he stood up and looked down at his brother. "Mama Knight is right. She wouldn't want you, or any of us chasing her right now. She ran for time to herself, and we're going to give it to her." he folded his arms across his chest. Logan bit his lip and looked between the two, slightly taken aback at Carlos' foreign burst of maturity. He too, stood up, facing James.

"Look at it this way, James. She still loves you. She didn't run away from you, she ran away from this place. She'll come back eventually." James shook his head and sank back into the couch, clenching his teeth together. He'd been right. She went to California to wait for him. And by any means necessary, he'd make it to her.

* * *

_the big reveal! it's camille! haha that rhymed!_

_reviews are love!_

_xoxo_

_k_


	16. Chapter 16

Ch. 16

Brooke woke up later that afternoon to Camille bouncing on her bed. She sat up as the bubbly brunette grinned over her.

"Cam, you realize I want to punch you right now, right?" she asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Camille's grin just widened and her eyes sparkled.

"Yeah, buuuuuut we have to go and celebrate!"she chirped, pulling the covers off of Brooke's body.

"What, you got the part?" Brooke lowered her hands, staring at her cousin.

"Nooooo, but it was a really great audition!" Camille said. "Now come on, go shower and get dressed, and we'll go to dinner and a movie. My treat!"

"You don't have-"

"Ah bah bah bah!" Camille cut her off. "My treat, now move that tushy!" Brooke rolled her eyes and threw her legs over the bed, standing up and stretching her arms over her head and rolling onto her tip toes. She hesitated ending the stretch, being used to James, who would either be behind her in bed or in front of her to tackle or pull her down with him, but no muscular arms wrapped around her torso this time. Trying to fight down the feeling of disappointment, she lowered back to her feet and grabbed some clothes and her makeup clutch out of her duffel before heading to the bathroom, Camille departing to her own bedroom to wait.

She turned the water to warm and began to strip down, catching herself in the mirror. Turning her back, she glanced over, and saw bruises in the form of fingers along the back of her hips, and she could almost feel like Kendall was tugging her body to his again. Her eyes closed as phantom lips pressed against her neck. Biting her lip, Brooke shook her head and left the memory, stepping into the hot shower.

Why didn't she feel dirty? This thought plagued her mind as she scrubbed her body clean, as if she could rid herself of her thoughts and feelings by turning her skin red. She had slept with Kendall, albeit to distract him and let him feel like he had won, but she had cheated on James. Why wasn't she sick to her stomach with regret and fear? Brooke honestly loved James, and she didn't love Kendall. She didn't even genuinely like Kendall. Maybe sleeping with him was her instincts taking over. She knew she had to leave, so she gave him what he wanted and left, taking a bit of his dignity with her after leaving that note. After washing her hair, she got out of the shower, and dried off, getting dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a plain white v-neck t-shirt. She pulled on a grey cardigan and then combed out her hair, blow drying it and letting it settle into it's natural, beach-y waves. After putting on her usual makeup, she left the bathroom, knocking on Camille's open door as she leaned against the wood.

"Hey, looking good!" Camille smiled, standing up from her desk, smoothing out her outfit from earlier. "Ready to go?" Brooke nodded, stopping into her room to put her dirty clothes away and grabbed her bag, pulling it up on her shoulder and following her cousin down the stairs of her home.

"Oh, are you going out?" Nick looked up from his chair in the living room. Maggie was sitting on the couch and looked up from the TV.

"Yeah, I'm taking Brooke out for dinner and a movie to catch up and take her mind off of things for a bit." Camille answered her parents, a small smile on her face. "I figured it'd be nice." Brooke stood next to her, her thumbs hooked into her pockets.

"Well, just don't be out too late." Nick nodded them off and Camille grinned, leading the way out the door. The early evening air was warm, but a nice breeze kept the heat down on their skin. Brooke pushed up the sleeves of her cardigan as they walked down the street of the town. They chatted quietly, trying to decide on a movie to see, watching as kids rode their bikes before their parents called them in for dinner, younger kids scraping chalk along the pavement of the sidewalks and driveways, giggling and smiling at their creations. Brooke smiled softly and gave a few of the kids who were looking at her and Camille a little wave, them grinning and waving exaggeratedly back. The two brunette girls made it to a tiny diner and walked in, sitting in a booth by the front, smiling at the older woman who brought them small glasses of water and menus.

After placing their food and drink orders, a dull silence filled the air between them.

"So uh, what was your audition for?" Brooke asked, sipping her water. Camille smiled and rolled her shoulders back, holding up her hands as if she were about to paint a picture.

"It's for this new show about teenage monsters!" she said excitedly. "They all live among humans, and they're hidden, you know? Like, they all look normal, but then there's witches and warlocks and cat people and they all have to keep their lives a secret, but there's always like, a murder or something happening and one girl and her group of friends save the school and the town and all that."

"Sounds cool." Brooke smiled. "Kind of like Buffy the Vampire Slayer..." Camille nodded.

"But it's really exciting." she took a sip of her own water. "I auditioned for a cat-girl, but they asked me to try out for the lead after a few minutes."

"No way! Do you think you'll get it?" Brooke asked, leaning forward excitedly.

"I don't know...I hope I do!" she replied, bouncing in her seat a bit as their food was set down in front of them. "It'd be nice to get a role where I'm not just a fleeting character or something strange."

"You'll get a break one day." Brooke acknowledged, knowing it was Camille's dream to be an actor since childhood. "If not with this, then with something better. You're a great actor, Cam."

"Thanks Brooke." Camille took a bite from a French fry and smiled as she chewed. "So how was life in Minnesota?" Brooke bit her lip, toying with the chicken tender in her hand before taking a bite. She thought about the guys, trying her best to block out Carlos' face, knowing her imagination would make his sad face ten times worse.

"It was alright, before, well, you know." Brooke shrugged. "I had friends that actually liked me. I was kinda popular, I guess, but not like it was with Brittany. I was co-captain of the volleyball team and I had a good relationship."

"Oooh, a boy?!" Camille perked up, smirking. "Spill!" Brooke looked down at her plate, biting her lip again and trying to hold back the smile as James's smiling face came into her mind.

"He uh, he's the greatest." she began, her lip breaking free from between her teeth and smiling. "Tall, good-looking, and he really cared about me. He knew about my disorder and everything. We would fight about it all the time, but he ended up winning and I ended up gaining weight." Camille smiled, already liking this boy for taking care of her favorite cousin. "He probably hates me right now...they all do."

"You don't know that." Camille murmured, reaching over and giving Brooke's hand a squeeze. "This guy, what was his name?"

"James."

"Well James really seemed to care about you. That doesn't stop so easily, Brooke. I'm sure he's calling your phone right now, listening to your voicemail over and over again, pining for your voice." Brooke chuckled and shook her head.

"I left him a letter, telling him everything that happened before I met him." she sighed. "I wanted to tell him myself, in person, you know? I wasn't ready to, and then a "friend" goes and shouts it at me at a party. And now everyone else knows. I just left him." '_And after fucking his best friend, too'_ she thought.

"I'm sure he understands though. Maybe not fully, but a little bit." Camille assured her. "What about the other guys? What were they like?"

"Well, they were-"

"Hey Camille!" they were interrupted by a tall, sandy haired boy, who was standing at the head of their table, grinning between the two girls. A few other guys were a few feet behind him, being seated at a table.

"Hey Gavin!" Camille smiled back. "Long time, no see!" she looked to Brooke, gesturing with her hand. "This is my cousin Brooke, she just flew in this morning for a visit."

"Cool! Nice to meet you, Brooke."

"Same." Brooke gave him a polite smile, shaking the hand he held out to her. His fingers grasped her a moment longer than necessary and he looked back to Camille.

"So, what do you pretty ladies have planned tonight?" he chuckled good-naturedly.

"Uh, well we were coming here to eat some dinner and catch up, and we were going to see a movie after..." Camille answered.

"Which movie?"

"That new one, with all the explosions and hot guys, I think..." Brooke said. Gavin grinned.

"Ay! Me and boys were gonna see that too! Mind if we crash your party?" Brooke and Camille shared a look and shrugged.

"How about you guys meet us at the theater and we'll all go in together?" Camille suggested. "Right now, I just want to catch up with Brooke some more."

"That's cool. We'll see you there!" Gavin went back to his table, sitting on the edge, next to a boy with a slightly overgrown brown mop of hair.

"Gavin is one of my only friends." Camille stated, looking at Brooke. "He's really nice, and so are his friends. I think Gav was one of my first real friends when I moved out here."

"He seems cool." Brooke nodded, agreeing with her cousin and taking a bite off another chicken strip. She and Camille kept up a soft conversation, talking about the things they did in the past few years. Brooke could feel eyes on her, and would glance over, seeing Gavin grinning at her. She would give him a polite smile and turn back to her conversation, her mind on James.

Carlos Garcia sat in the plush chair in the corner of James' bedroom, watching over his best friends sleeping body with a forlorn expression. It had now been a two full weeks since Brooke had left. She'd only called her father once, asked to speak to her sister, and told him that she couldn't talk to any of the guys, no matter how assuring Luke was that they were still there for her and loved her. James had stopped taking care of himself after the third day. Currently, his jaw, chin, and above his lip were covered in tiny, coarse hairs darkening his face and making the circles under his eyes stand out more. Instead of it's usual clean, groomed luster, his hair had taken a greasy, floppy sheen. He constantly wore grey sweatpants and a black tank top, but never bothered working out anymore.

James had tried multiple times to go to California, only to get caught sneaking out by the guys, his mother, or Luke. Carlos had, only a few hours ago, thwarted his latest attempt of saying he was going to go the grocery store, asking Carlos for a ride, and then giving him directions to a "New, healthier organic store" that surprisingly, on the way to the airport. Carlos caught on when James had him turn onto the expressway and turned the car around at the next exit, bringing him back home and sending the sleep-deprived boy to bed. Carlos had told him he'd stay and make sure he slept, and make sure he didn't try and leave again. After he and Logan had sided with Luke and Ms. Knight, James had called them traitors and left the Montgomery house, Kendall following after him. A few days had passed of cold shoulders and silent treatments from the tallest boy, but Kendall had gotten through to him and James forgave the two shorter boys.

"Carlos..." James muttered, opening his eyes. "What if she wants me out there?" Carlos sighed, licking his lips before answering.

"Then she would've called you, buddy." The Latino boy spoke the truth. James could see it and hear it well.

"But-But what if she can't call? Like, she's too afraid to do it? I should be out there." James was holding on to his last shred of hope that his friends and family would let him leave.

"She'll call you when she's ready." Carlos insisted. "Think of her right now. She's probably terrified that you've found another girl, or that you don't want to speak to her."

"I've left her hundreds of messages telling her the opposite of all that." James sighed, staring up at their pictures on his ceiling. "She doesn't want me anymore, does she?" Carlos looked up at his friend, surprised at the assumption.

"No, no James. I'm so sure she still wants you!" Carlos reassured him. "James, look at all the shit we've been getting since the party. The looks and the questions, _that's_ what Brooke left. She didn't want that. She'd gone through it before, once is enough. She loves you, James. She said it in her letter."

"She also told me to move on." James groaned.

"No, she said she wouldn't blame you if you did. She didn't straight up tell you to." Carlos interjected.

"I don't want to move on..."

"Then fucking don't!" Carlos yelled, fed up with the conversation. He'd had it with James dozens of times, and it was getting on his nerves. James had shot up into a sitting position at the usually light hearted boys anger. "I'm so sick of seeing you like this. You need to buck the fuck up, and keep going with your life. You look disgusting, and you smell awful. This isn't the James Diamond we all know, and it's definitely not the one Brooke would want to see, should she somehow come back tomorrow. She'd want to see the groomed, loving guy that was here when she left. Get the fuck out of bed, get into that bathroom, and I want to see the one and only James Diamond, future popstar, walk out, lucky comb in hand." James took a moment to absorb the speech his best friend and brother had just given him.

"You're right." James nodded, getting out of bed and standing up. "You're abso-fucking-lutely right, Carlos. I'm done being a loser and moping around. Brooke wouldn't want this. She wouldn't want to bang some greasy, smelly loser. She wants _me._ And I'm going to give it to her." Carlos grinned supportively as James marched towards the bathroom and slammed the door shut. Once he heard the sound of the water running in the shower, he reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He scrolled through the contacts and pressed the one he had the most desire to call. After three rings, it went to voicemail.

_'Hey, you've reached Brooke, I'm not available right now-" "THAT'S RIGHT!"_ James's voice shouted behind Brooke's as she giggled into the phone. _"James! James no! Stop it!" _she laughed. _"Anyway, uh, leave me a message and I promise I'll get back to you ASAP. Bye! James! Stop!" _the phone beep cut off her giggle and Carlos sighed.

"Brooke, it's Carlos. I know you're listening to these messages, and I know that you're afraid to call, but _please_ for the love of fruit smackers, just call James and tell him you still love him. He's been depressed since you left, and I've finally got him out of bed, but I don't know how long this is going to last. He needs to know you still want him. We keep finding him trying to sneak out of the house, and get to the airport, but we stop him. We have no idea where you are in California, and he could get lost or hurt searching for you. We really miss you, Brooke. People are talking, but it's starting to die down. No one really cares anymore." Carlos licked his lips before continuing. "Kendall is sorry, you know. He wishes he hadn't said a word, that he hadn't found out. He wants to take it all back. He spends most of his time with Logan...I guess they talk about why he did what he did and what's going on." after a few moments of silence, Carlos took a deep breath. "I miss you, Brooke. I love you, and I miss you. You're my sister, and remember what I said a few months ago? I'm always here for you. _Always." _With that, he ended the message at the same time the water stopped running in the bathroom. Carlos shook his head, knowing it'd be another good forty-five minutes before James was ready to go. The phone in Carlos's hand began to vibrate, and hope flooded through his body, quickly tightening his grasp and starting down at the phone. The name all four of the boys had longed to see lighting up their phones was not present, but Logan's was.

"Hey man, what's going on?" Carlos answered, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"Nothing much. Kendall and I were thinking about going out to the diner and getting some food. Want to come?"

"I'll ask James." Carlos went to the bathroom door and rapped his knuckles against it lightly. "Hey, want to meet Logan and Kendall up at the diner?"

"Yeah, give me a few minutes to get ready!" James called through the door.

"Yeah, we'll meet you guys there." Carlos said into the phone. On the other line, Logan was flabbergasted.

"Y-You got him out of bed? For something other than school?" he asked, sharing a shocked look at Kendall, whose eyebrows were raised in surprise.

"I gave him this huge speech too." Carlos admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as he moved away from the door and sat on the chair again. "Told him to man the fuck up and get going with life. He's going for it, I guess..."

"Well good." Logan complimented Carlos' work. "The fresh air will do him wonders."

"Yeah, I hope so." Carlos nodded. "We'll see you soon, okay? James wanted 'a few minutes to get ready'."

"So like, half an hour?" Logan chuckled. "Alright dude, see you soon."

"Bye." the boys hung up and Logan's smile disappeared as he looked to his blonde friend. Logan knew everything Kendall had done in the past few months, leading up to Brooke's departure. He knew what went on in her bedroom the night she left as well. Luckily, Logan had a great poker face, and could keep a secret if he needed to.

"We're going to meet them in half an hour. James is finally leaving his house." Kendall nodded. "You're going to have to tell him."

"I can't." Kendall shook his head. "How do I tell my best friend that I'm in love with the love of his life, and I slept with her? He'll kill me and this group will fall apart."

"But if you don't tell him, what if she does first?"

"Well it's not like I fucking raped her. I seem to recall her moaning and thrusting too." Kendall spat, his anger rising. Logan smacked his friends arm.

"First of all, don't fucking talk like that." Logan hissed. "Second, _YOU_ were the one who was constantly nagging her, and bugging her and flirting with her in your own psycho way. The way I see it, she used you." Logan shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Kendall asked, his eyebrows furrowed, hand still rubbing the new sore spot on his arm.

"She needed to distract you from noticing her leaving. She gave you what you wanted and left when you were asleep." Logan shrugged. "Now get your coat, we're have to pick Katie up from Luke's."

Kendall nodded and stood up, noting how Logan was uncharacteristically in charge since Brooke left. It made Kendall nervous, and panicky, like Logan was going to usurp the leader position in their group, making him the cowardly, nervous one. As he slipped on his jacket, he thought about the words his dark haired friend had said.

Brooke had used him. Brooke had used him and gotten away with it.

And Kendall wanted nothing more than to be used by her again.

* * *

_reviews are love, yall!_

_xoxo_

_k_


	17. Chapter 17

Ch. 17

"Gav! Get the ball!" Brooke shouted, standing on the beach in shorts and a white tank top, her purple bikini top showing through as the bright California sunset began. Her, Camille, Gavin and a few other friends were at the beach, playing at one of the volleyball nets that were set up halfway down the sand. Micah, the floppy brown-haired kid from the diner had gotten way too into the game, and thought he was an Olympic competitor, and slammed the ball, but his hand made contact with it at an angle and sent it soaring towards the water. Gavin had ran down to get it, but got distracted, dunking himself into the chilly ocean water instead.

"Gav! Come on!" Camille shouted, laughing at him as he shook out his hair, running back up the beach and grabbing the ball. His legs were completely covered in sand by the time he reached them. Gavin hit the ball, putting it over the net so Micah's team could start.

"Sorry, just had to cool off a bit." Gavin chuckled. Brooke rolled her eyes. He had become a good friend to Brooke in the month she had been living with Camille. Everyone had been nice to her, and no one pried into her life, accepting what she told them and moving on.

"You're such a tool." Brooke remarked, getting into position as the ball came flying towards her. She bumped it over to Camille, who spiked it over the net, cheering when they won the game.

"TIME FOR FROZEN TREATS!" Micah shouted, gathering the ball and fishing his car keys out of his pocket.

"But you guys lost." Camille laughed. Micah shrugged.

"The ice cream freezes the pain." everyone laughed and went to the cars, Camille and Brooke climbing into Gavin's truck and rode to the local ice cream shop. Once there, the group of teens piled up at the window, giving their orders and waiting by the pick up window. Brooke smiled as the acne-riddled boy handed her the cup of mint chocolate chip ice cream and thanked him.

"Hey, wanna take a walk with me?" Gav asked Brooke as she turned around. She nodded and let Camille know the plan and followed Gavin, walking beside him and eating a spoonful of her ice cream, savoring the sweet mint and chocolate flavors swirling on her tongue.

"So what's up?" she asked as she swallowed the frozen treat. Gavin seemed fidgety and nervous, something he rarely was around her, and it was making her feel awkward.

"Nothing much." he answered. "Just uh-we had a good game. I'm still really pumped." Brooke chuckled and nodding.

"Yeah, well, I've got to stay in form, so it was a good practice." she replied, swirling her ice cream around the styrofoam dish with her spoon.

"So uh, there's this party tonight, that I was invited to..." Gavin started, nervously tapping the cone on his ice cream with his fingers. "I was wondering if you would want to go with me?" Brooke shrugged.

"Yeah, Camille and I would be up for a party, I guess."

"Well, no...not Camille. Just you and me." Gavin clarified, looking hesitantly up at Brooke. "Camille doesn't really know these friends..."

"Oh..." Brooke bit her lip. "Um, I guess that'd be okay...I'm just kind of wary of going places without her. You know, because I don't live here or anything."

"Well, that's why you've got me." Gavin smiled. "I won't let anything hurt you, I promise. It's just a simple party with a few of my friends."

"Okay. I'll go." Brooke smiled over at him. "But I can't stay out too late. Uncle Nick would kill me if I was out past one."

"But that's when the parties always get good!" Brooke held back her cringe at his grammar and shrugged.

"Not my house, not my rules." she said simply. "I won't go if you don't think it'll be fun before one in the morning. I have better things to do."

"Like what? Sit in your bedroom and watch reruns of The Office?" Gav implied.

"Sounds a lot better than going to a party with a whiny little boy." she scoffed. "You and your "other friends" must suck at partying if it's not a rager before midnight. I mean, in Minnesota, shit was off the walls by nine."

"Brooke, don't pull this shit with me." Gavin laughed, tugging on her arm after throwing out his barely eaten ice cream cone. "Come with me to this party, and you can show us all how to have an amazing time."

"Fine." she said. "But you _have_ to have me home by one-thirty at the latest."

"Fine." he answered, grinning cheekily.

A half an hour later, Brooke was being pulled along, into a small house by Gavin. He was smiling reassuringly and led the way inside, grinning as people cheered his name. He instantly pulled her over to a group of teens, all slouched into a sofa, looking messy and haphazardly thrown together.

"Brooke, these are my friends!" Gavin shouted over the loud music. "Matt, Grace, Stephen, and Milo. Guys, this is Brooke."

"Nice to meet you." Brooke shouted, giving them a polite smile.

"You wanna hit?" the boy named Milo asked, holding out a large blunt. Brooke shook her head. "Come on, it won't kill you."

"I'll take one." Gavin leaned over and snatched the blunt, taking a large hit off of it and grinning. "Fuck, that's the spot."

"I'm going to get something to drink, okay?" Gavin nodded Brooke away, taking another hit and she walked away, looking for the kitchen. Once found, she grabbed a bottle of beer out of the cooler and twisted the cap off, taking a large swig of it. She grabbed another and headed out to the living room again, handing the beer to Gavin, who smiled gratefully. She sat next to him and he handed her the blunt, nodding encouragingly at her. Brooke rolled her eyes and took a hit, the familiar smoke and haze surrounding her. Back in Indiana, she had smoked pot with Brittany, and alone after the incident with Mr. Jenkins. She'd get high just to get over her life for a few hours. Once she had moved to Minnesota, parties weren't as common, and she didn't have much of a chance. Logan and Carlos had convinced her to stop smoking cigarettes, but James occasionally smoked weed at the rare parties that were held. As her heart started to ache at the memories of James and her friends, she took a bigger hit, letting the chemicals in the weed calm her soul.

A few hours later, Brooke and Gavin were properly gone. Neither had care in the world as he pulled her outside into the backyard. Barely anyone was out there, and Gavin threw himself down onto his back, staring up at the sky. Brooke smiled and followed suit. They both stayed in a peaceful silence for a while, just staring up at the few stars that the lights in the town allowed them to see.

"Brooke?" Gavin spoke up after a few moments.

"Yeah Gav?" she answered, ripping up a fistful of grass and tossing it in the air. She giggled slightly as the green plants flittered down back to the earth like little helicopters.

"Have you ever felt something towards someone, but didn't know if it was true or not?" Gavin asked, his gaze still locked on the sky. Brooke furrowed her eyebrows and turned her head to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, you feel something when you look at them, but it's something you can't figure out... Almost like, you shouldn't have those feelings towards them?" Brooke bit her lip, her mind filtering in her memories of her last hours with Kendall, a tingling sensation bubbling up in her stomach. She clenched her eyes shut and squashed the feelings, and nodded.

"Yeah, I know exactly what you mean." she answered, opening her eyes and looking into his as he turned his head and looked at her. "It sucks."

"I want to try something." he said, looking down as he moved his hand and grasped hers, making her stop tugging at the grass between them. "Please don't hit me." Brooke furrowed her brow again as Gavin leaned closer, and finally placed his lips upon hers. Brooke's eyes fluttered shut and she kissed him back for a moment, letting him roll on top of her and slip his tongue into her mouth. After a few moments, she pushed him away, gasping and mentally beating herself up for letting the kiss happen in the first place. He balanced himself on his hands, which were on either side of the ground beside her head.

"Gav, I shouldn't have let you do that.." she said. "I-I'm sorry, but I have a boyfriend back home." Gavin looked down at the grown before giving her a lopsided grin.

"I think I'm gay." he said happily. Brooke widened her eyes in shock. "I didn't feel anything, did you?"

"N-No..." Brooke answered, still trying to comprehend what happened. Gavin's grin widened and he sat up, pulling her up with him.

"God, I'm so glad." he sighed. "I mean, you're fucking hot, Brooke, but you're the first girl I've ever been attracted to, and it was really confusing."

"I see..." Brooke nodded. "So, you've never been attracted to a girl? Does anyone else know you're gay?"

"Well, I mean, I've had girlfriends, and I've had sex, but I was never really attracted to the girls. I guess I was bored and trying to figure it out. I mean, me and the guys would go see a Vin Diesel movie and they'd be talking about the action, and I'd be focused on the scenes where he had his shirt off." Brooke chuckled. "I don't think anyone knows...well, you do now."

"I won't tell if you don't want me to." she said. "It's up to you to tell people anyways."

"Thanks." Gavin smiled sincerely. "It's not so much our friends but my family. I'm like, a 'popular kid', you know? I played football and lacrosse, and I was Homecoming King, had a hot girlfriend...I don't want them to go into shock and have a heart attack or something."

"Well, I don't think anyone will really see it coming..." Brooke admitted. "I never would've pegged you as gay. But I don't think anyone will think less of you. I sure don't."

"Really?" Gavin asked.

"Yeah...I mean, it's not like you're murdering people or causing trouble by being gay." Brooke laughed. "You're still the Gavin a met almost a month ago. You just like penis as much as I do." Gavin let out a loud howl of a laugh and shook his head.

"Brooke Montgomery, you're one cool chick." he said after he calmed down. Brooke nodded.

"I like to think so.

* * *

Kendall laid in his bed, restlessly attempting to sleep. The pills he had taken to get rid of his headache said 'PM' on them, and were guaranteed to help him drift off to sleep, but it had been four hours and his eyes kept popping wide open whenever he tried to shut them and sleep. The days since Brooke had left had been hard on him. He kept imagining she'd come back, coming to his house before doing anything else and running to see him. Kendall let his imagination wander off into his perfect scenario.

_Kendall sat on the couch, flicking through the channels on the small TV in his living room, bored out of his mind. Nothing could entertain him this night. His friends were off somewhere and he just wanted to be alone for a while, and his mother and Katie were out to a movie. A knocking at the door broke him from his bored stupor and set the remote down, getting up and going towards the door. He opened the door and was shocked to see Brooke standing there. She had a light tan to her skin again, glowing just like it had when she had first moved to Sherwood. Her hair was a bit lighter of a brown, looking sunkissed in the porch light. _

_"B-Brooke..."_

_"I missed you so much Kendall." she whispered, rushing to close the space between them and crashing her lips onto his. Kendall wrapped his arms around her waist and dragged her inside, slamming the door shut and pressing her against it as her arms wound around his neck, pulling him closer and hopping up, wrapping her legs around his waist. "I had to come back. For you...for this." she murmured into his ear before nibbling his lobe and moaning as he ground against her hips. "Take me, Kendall."_

By now, Kendall's hand had made its way down his body and under the covers, grasping his own hard on, and biting his lip to keep in the groan, as to not wake his sister next door or his mother down the hall. He pumped his hand up and down, gently squeezing every now and then, letting a hard sigh escape his mouth.

_Kendall carried Brooke up the stairs, to his bedroom, tossing her onto the bed and shutting his door, growling as he tore off his shirt and unbuckled his belt, pulling down his jeans. Brooke was already pulling her shirt over her head, and Kendall took the chance, while her arms were above her head to reach back and unhook the strapless bra, tossing it over his shoulder and latching his lips to one of her nipples, kneading the other breast with his rough, calloused hand. Brooke tossed her head back and moaned, gasping as Kendall pulled away and blew cool air on the wet, hardened peak. He switched his attentions to the other breast before pushing her down and climbing fully on top of her. His hands unbuttoned her jeans and tugged them down, kissing her hips. _

_"Kendall, baby please.." Brooke groaned as his fingers brushed the inside of her thighs. Kendall smirked and gave her a sultry gaze._

_"What, Brooke? What do you want me to do to you?" he asked her, licking a small line just above her green thong._

_"Everything." she whispered. "I'm yours, Kendall Knight. You can have me anyway you want." Kendall let out a primal growl and pushed down his boxers, nearly ripping the flimsy undergarment off of Brooke's body. _

Kendall's hips were thrusting themselves off the bed, his free hand pushing his hair back from his sweaty forehead, clutching and tugging on the hair, tossing his head back and biting his lower lip as he sped up his movements.

"Ah fuck!" he hissed through his teeth, his fantasy getting better and better.

_"Turn over." he commanded. Brooke gave him a sexy smirk and did as told, turning on her hands and knees, tossing her hair over her shoulder and looking back at Kendall, who was stroking his length. "You want this?" he rubbed the tip against her soaked opening. Brooke's eyes closed and she nodded._

_"Mhm.." Kendall slapped her ass and she let out a surprised gasp before giggling. "More, Kendall." _

_"You want more?" Kendall slapped her ass again, a nice, red print appearing. "I'll give you more." he wordlessly thrust into her hot core, and she moaned loudly. Kendall didn't wait for her to adjust to his size, he pulled out and slammed back in, gripping her hips tightly as she pushed back against him, moaning out his name loudly as he fucked her roughly. Her walls were tight around him and were starting to convulse as she reached back and furiously rubbed her clit, on the verge of orgasm. _

_"Fuck! Kendall!" Brooke screamed as he slammed into her harder, letting her ride out her orgasm. He pulled out, biting back a whine at the loss of her slick heat. Brooke turned around and grasped Kendall's erection and pumped him slowly before taking him in her mouth, moaning at the taste of herself. Her head bobbed up and down as her hand worked what her mouth couldn't reach, and Kendall's hands tangled into her hair, his hips thrusting a bit. _

_"Brooke, so damn good..." he hissed. Brooke hummed and it sent Kendall overboard. After a few rolls of her tongue, Kendall was spent, shooting his load down her throat as she greedily swallowed it all, smiling up at him and letting his dick fall from her hand as he grabbed her by the upper arms and kissed her passionately. "I love you so fucking much."_

_"I love you too." she whispered, kissing him again and flicking her tongue over his bottom lip._

Kendall's hips jolted against the mattress and his hand slowed it's movements as white liquid began seeping over his fist. He untangled his other hand from his hair and reached over, grabbing a few tissues and cleaned himself up a bit before going to his bathroom and flushing the dirty tissue and washing his hands. He looked in the mirror at his flushed face and gave his reflection a cheeky grin. So what if his fantasy was more porn movie than what would actually happen with Brooke? He knew that she'd say those words to him one day. She'd be his forever and always.

* * *

"Camille! How much shit do you have to take with you?" Brooke groaned miserably as she helped pack the large van in front of the Holloway household. She and Camille were moving into the famed Palm Woods hotel and apartments. Camille had landed the lead role in the TV series about monsters, and after a few weeks of commuting problems, had decided to move her into The Palm Woods. After long discussions with her parents, they decided that letting Camille and Brooke live together would be okay, only being about forty-five minutes away from home in traffic. They were responsible young girls, and apparently Mr. Bitters, whom they had met with briefly, was an unpleasant man and lived up to his name of being bitter, and wouldn't let the girls get away with anything.

"Well, who knows how long we'll be living there?" Camille shrugged. Brooke only had her few possessions she had brought with her to begin with, along with a small box of things she had bought while she was there, including new bedding for her new room at the apartment. Camille set down the last box of her things and shut the trunk of the car, turning and facing her parents.

"Call us when you get there." Aunt Maggie said, pointing a finger at both girls. "And don't get into any trouble, no boys in the apartment after ten, unless it's Gavin, but he stays on the couch, and please for the love of all that is holy, don't go around slapping people, Cam." Camille shrugged.

"We'll call, no trouble, no boys unless it's Gav, and I can't promise on the slapping." Camille laughed.

"Be safe you two, and call regularly. Visit too!"

"We're only going to be in the city, guys." Brooke smiled, accepting the hug from her aunt.

"But it's leaving home for the first time. Oh gosh, they might as well be getting married and having their own kids." Maggie said, hugging her own daughter now.

"Oh god, no. No thank you. I'll save marriage and kids for my thirties." Brooke said, leaving the hug with Uncle Nick, who laughed.

"Good idea." he said.

"If you want to beat traffic and make check in, we'd best leave now." the chauffeur called from the drivers seat. The girls acknowledged him and hugged the adults again.

"We'll call, we promise." Camille said as she opened the door to the back seat. Brooke climbed in and sat as Camille accepted kisses from her parents. "I love you guys. I'll see you soon."

"Bye pumpkin!" Maggie called. "Bye Brooke!"

"Bye Aunt Maggie!" the girls waved goodbye and laughed as they pulled away from the curb.

"This is going to be so awesome!" Camille squealed, tugging on Brooke's arm. "I hear the Palm Woods is like, the coolest place for the future famous."

"I guess I won't really fit in there, huh?"

"Oh! You'll find something! I promise!" Camille assured. "Hey! I could get you a part on my show, maybe!"

"Maybe." Brooke shrugged. "I'm excited about the pool scene though. It looked really amazing when we passed it on the tour."

"I know, right?! I think that's what we'll do first, is get some sun and swim, meet some people we can trick into helping us unpack!"

"You mean helping _you_ unpack?" Brooke chuckled. "I don't have four boxes of stuff sitting in the back."

"Oh you know what I mean." Camille waved her off. The girls giggled as they watched the towns pass and the city come into view. From the moment the Palm Woods came into sight, the girls felt a sense of home. They were definitely going to love living in LA.

* * *

_reviews are love_

xoxo

k


	18. Chapter 18

Ch. 18

Kendall sat in the middle of his bed, watching James pace the floor in front of him. Logan sat in the desk chair, while Carlos was sitting on the floor, all listening as James said, or rather frantically shrieked his peace. Kendall had work in a ten minutes, and the guys were going to follow him to hell and back, trying to change his mind. The night before, after being bruised and beaten by the girls' hockey team for pulling the sprinklers on their practice, they had saw an announcement that famed producer, Gustavo Rocque was in Minnesota, only a few blocks away, holding auditions for his next big star. The guys instantly found a way to get James down there and they each were pushed into auditioning. After a bout of nerves, James was yelled at that he was terrible, and Kendall jumped to his defense, singing a song about Gustavo being a giant turd, and was escorted home by the police after a fight with security.

A mere half hour later, Gustavo and his assistant, Kelly, had shown up on Kendall's doorstep, and offered him the demo deal, to which Kendall declined. Since, the guys, James especially, had been convincing him to take the deal.

"Are you done yet, James? I have to go to work." Kendall sighed.

"No!" James shook his head. "Dude, this is a once in a lifetime chance! Take it!"

"Dude, you have the chance to go to California, meet hot girls, be a singer. Do you know how cool that is?!" Carlos chimed in.

"Do you know how lame it would be going out there and not knowing anybody?" Kendall retorted, rolling his eyes. "James, this is your dream, not mine."

"Well, I'm good looking and have tons of talent, I'll make it someday." James shrugged. "But it'd help if I had a buddy in the business."

"I don't want to go. I don't want to sing, and I don't want to work for that loser producer." Kendall said, as if ending the argument. However, the boys persisted.

"Kendall, if it were me, I'd go." Logan said softly. "It's a big opportunity. And even if it turns out to be lame, or doesn't work out, at least you did it. It'd be stupid to waste something this big." Kendall groaned and closed his eyes. Suddenly, a plan popped into his head.

"So you're saying you'd all go if it were you?" The three boys nodded eagerly. "Fucking fine. I'll call him." James, Carlos and Logan all grinned as Kendall called the number Kelly left him with.

"Hello, Rocque Records, Kelly Wainwright speaking." her voice flooded his ears.

"Hi Kelly. It's Kendall Knight. I've reconsidered. Meet me at Sherwood Market in five minutes."

* * *

Brooke laid out by the pool, sunglasses covering her eyes, soft smile on her face, green bikini attracting the attention of the male residents of the Palm Woods pool scene. Guitar Dude was close by, a new friend of her and Camille, playing a new song he was working on. Hanging out with him was a total trip, and never a dull moment.

"Brooke, you're already graham cracker brown, don't you think yo've tanned enough?" Camille asked, smirking at the girl. Brooke raised her sunglasses up and looked at her cousin.

"My dear, I have nothing better to do, as I am not a "future famous". Now, unless you're going to join me, please be quiet." Camille laughed.

"Au contraire, my silly cousin." Camille sat down on the empty lounge next to her. "I may have found you a job."

"Please tell me I'm not a squid person on your show." Brooke grimaced, remembering her visit to the set one particular day.

"No, but my manager saw your picture in my dressing room, and has an offer for you." Brooke raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" she asked carefully.

"She wants to know if you'd like to be in a music video!" Camille said, grinning. "Helen said that your bone structure is so perfect, and you're pretty, and the band really needs a girl for their music video. The actress they hired quit, and I'd do it, but I can't do other projects until the first episode of the show airs."

"Uhm...o-okay." Brooke said softly. "What band?"

"Not sure, exactly. Helen didn't mention, but apparently they're really good. I'll call and ask later. So you're going to do it?" Brooke bit her lip.

"Sure why not?" she shrugged. "Might as well do something and earn a bit of cash while I'm here."

"Ooh! This is going to be so fun!" Camille jumped up. "You have a meeting in an hour for fittings and to go over the synopsis of the video."

"What, Camille!" Brooke clambered up from her seat, grabbing her things. "I have to go get ready!" the two girls ran from the pool and into the elevators, heading up to the fourth floor and running to their apartment. After getting dressed and spraying on a small amount of perfume, Brooke rBrooked her makeup and left her room, meeting Camille.

"Where is the meeting?" she asked, grabbing her bag.

"It's at the diner up the street, and I'm coming with you." Camille grabbed her bag and they left the apartment, locking up behind themselves. They walked to the diner and Brooke nervously rubbed her hands against her hips, trying to make them less clammy. They walked into the cool diner and looked around.

"Camille! Brooke! Over here!" Helen waved them over to a large, round booth, filled with six young men. Camille and Brooke shared a look and walked over to the booth, sitting down after the guys made room. "Ladies, this is The Maine, The Maine, this is my client Camille, and her cousin Brooke, the one who'll be in your video."

"Hey." the girls chimed, Brooke giving a small wave.

"I'm John, this is Garrett, Kennedy, Jared, and Pat." a tall, thin guy said, gesturing to his bandmates as he said their names. They each gave the girls a greeting and a small silence fell over the table, which was quickly penetrated by Helen.

"So, the music video shoots tomorrow, and Brooke, you'll be playing the lead girl."

"...Okay..." Brooke nodded, waiting for a bit more of an explanation.

"Basically, you're the girl we're all after." The one named Kennedy spoke up, giving her a smile that lit up his eyes. "The dream girl, if you will."

"So, it's about a girl who's playing you all?" Brooke asked.

"Not exactly. We don't have the money to pay for five actresses, so we're only using one." Garrett explained. Brooke chuckled and nodded in understanding. "We're basically all head over heels for you and the song that we're going to 'perform' is about you."

"Okay. Sounds cool." Brooke smiled. "So what type of music do you play?"

"It's kind of a pop punk, if you had to label it." Pat shrugged. "It's fun to play and fun to dance around to."

"Which you'll be doing a lot of tomorrow." John grinned.

"Brooke, are you comfortable with all of this?" Helen asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"Yeah, I'm fine with it."

"Good, then let's go get you fitted, you've got a few outfits to choose. Helen stood up and Camille and Brooke scooted out from the booth.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Brooke, ten AM!" John called after them. Brooke waved over her shoulder and followed Helen and Camille to Helen's car, and watched the city pass as they headed to a studio apartment. There were racks upon racks of clothes to choose from, but Helen led her over to one rack specific rack.

"Try these on, and come out and show us the fit." Helen commanded, pushing the rack towards Brooke and pointing towards a curtained off section. Brooke nodded and did as told, all the clothes fitting fine, only needing a belt for the jeans and a size bigger shoe. After trying on all the outfits, she picked six of them to use and Helen drove Camille and Brooke back to the Palm Woods, where they excitedly talked about the video shoot.

The next morning, Brooke sat in a chair, a nice young woman doing her makeup under a small tent. She smiled as Tracie, the makeup artist, told her about brands of makeup, and how nice Brooke's skin was.

"Hello ladies!" Brooke looked up to see Kennedy standing just under the tent, grinning. "Brooke, you're looking marvelous."

"Thanks." she blushed. Kennedy was good looking, no lie.

"I'm here to deliver you a script." he continued, waving a rolled up stack of papers. Brooke held her hand out and he gave it to her, sitting down next to her.

"So do you know what we're shooting first?"

"No idea, but I marked page three for you." he winked, standing up. "I'll see you in a few."

"Kay." Brooke smiled at him and Tracie started on her hair, running a product through her beach-y waves, making them shine and sit just right. Brooke opened up the script to page three, where underlined in red marker, was a line _Brooke and Kennedy share a sweet, passionate kiss before running down the street._ Brooke shook her head, chuckling as her name was called to set.

After run throughs and filming with John, Pat and Garrett, Brooke sat on the sidewalk, sipping a water bottle. She watched as the traffic whizzed by, the heat from the sun being battled by a cool breeze.

"Our scenes are next." Brooke looked over and saw Kennedy sitting down next to her.

"You seem eager." she said, raising her eyebrow. Kennedy laughed.

"I am." he replied, shrugging. "You're nice, you're pretty...I actually had to beg them to put a kiss in the script." Brooke blushed.

"You just met me. How do you know I'm nice?"

"Because you haven't told me off for being a horndog yet."

"Well, you're not exactly a horndog, and I'm not really kissing you." Brooke shrugged. "My character that I happen to share a name with is kissing your character that shares the same name as you." Kennedy laughed and toyed with his cellphone in his hand.

"You're something, you know that?" he asked. Brooke smiled and nodded.

"Seems to be a running theme of my life, yes." Kennedy laughed again and bit his lip.

"So, would you be opposed to the idea of going out with me tonight?" he asked. Brooke's breath caught in her throat. She had used the boyfriend excuse on Gavin, because honestly, she felt bad about doing anything behind James' back, but it's been almost a month, and she hadn't heard from any of the guys. She texted Logan and Carlos every once in a while, and left James a voicemail, apologizing for everything one night when she was drunk outside a party with Gav. They barely responded. Brooke took it as a sign that James and the rest of them had moved on, like she had told him to.

"Sure, I'd like that." Brooke smiled as Kennedy's face broke into a grin.

* * *

"You guys, this place is amazing!" Carlos exclaimed, jumping up and down. They'd been at the Palm Woods for five hours, and everything was so surreal. While their apartment stunk, the pool was amazing and they'd already tried hitting on the group of three stunning girls named Jennifer.

"Hey, do you think Brooke is in LA?" Logan piped up from his lounge. No doubt, they'd all been thinking if they were going to run into her. Any time someone new entered the pool, James looked up excitedly, thinking perhaps she'd make this grand entrance.

"Luke said her cousin lived like, forty-five minutes away. I wouldn't doubt that she ventures into the city from time to time." Kendall shrugged.

"I miss her." Carlos said softly. "Do you think we should tell her we're in California?"

"Later." Logan shrugged. "We'll give her a few days." James had been a bit silent on the subject so far. "James, you okay?"

"Do you think she wants me still?" he asked. "Nothing in the voicemail she left me last month said anything about wanting to come back or me come to her, just how much she missed me and how sorry she was."

"I'm sure she still wants you, James. You haven't exactly called her back either. That doesn't help facts." Carlos said, sipping from a coconut. "She probably thinks you've moved on."

"I haven't..." James said unconvincingly. "It's just hard to pick up the phone and hear her voice."

"I don't think you have to worry about calling Brooke..."Logan said, his gaze locked on the other side of the pool in the lounge.

"Why?" James turned to look at him.

"Because she's sitting over there." all the guys' heads turned to look. She was sitting at a table, another girl sitting next to her, and a guy, with blonde shaggy hair. Brooke was laughing as the girl was reciting animatedly from a script. The guy was laughing along, attempting to recite from another script.

"S-should we go over?" Carlos asked.

"No, James should." Logan answered. James was frozen. He watched as Brooke stood up, saying something to the two people and smiling, beginning to walk away. "Dude, go now!" James was pushed off the lounge chair and stumbled a bit, then made his way to the entrance to the lobby.

"Brooke!" he called. Brooke turned around with a smile on her face. That changed when she saw who had called her name.

"James?" she asked in disbelief, her eyes wide as he came closer. "What? H-How?"

"We're recording demos with Gustavo Rocque." he answered. "Brooke..."

"Shut up." she said, closing the space between them and cupping the back of his neck with her hand, pulling his lips down to hers. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body flush to his. They knew people were watching, but didn't care. Two months of not seeing each other was being released.

"Excuse me, but there's is no making out by my pool!" they were pulled apart by Mr. Bitters. After being chewed out by him, Brooke looked up at James.

"We need to talk."


	19. Chapter 19

Ch. 19

Brooke paced the floor of the living room in her and Camille's apartment. James sat on the edge of the couch, hands laced together between his legs as he watched her biting her lip, a telltale sign that she was trying to think of the words she wanted to say and in what order. She ran a hand through her hair, sighing, trying to avoid looking at the boy.

"I called you..." James said. "I called you, Logan called you, we all called."

"I know." Brooke admitted. "I tried...James, it was hard..."

"You seemed to be taking it easy a few minutes ago at the pool." James scoffed. Brooke frowned. "Who was that guy? Your new boyfriend?"

"No, that's Gavin and he's gay." Brooke snapped, sending a glare James' way. "How did you guys all get here?"

"Like I said, we're recording demos with Gustavo Rocque. What are you doing at the Palm Woods?" James asked.

"My cousin Camille is an actress. She's on that new monsters in high school show. Her parents are letting us stay here while she shoots." Brooke answered. "And...I'm kind of a model..actress thing..." Brooke tucked her hair behind her right ear.

"What were you in?" James asked softly, letting his curiosity break through his tough act.

"I uh, I did an ad for some jeans and I was in a music video." she breathed out. James raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"For who?"

"The Maine...I guess they're a pretty popular band...Kennedy made me get a Twitter and I guess a lot of people like me in it..." Brooke rambled.

"Who's Kennedy?" James inquired. Brooke stopped in her tracks. "Please tell me it's a girl." Brooke looked at him. "Jesus Christ, Brooke."

"It-It's not anything, James." she said, rushing over to him as he stood up. "I'll be honest, yes I went out with him a few times, and-and we kissed but James, it's nothing." James' jaw was locked as he glared at a spot on the wall opposite. The silence between them was filled with tension.

"Did you fuck him?" James asked, nearly growling. Brooke furrowed her brow.

"What?" she asked, not believing her ears.

"Did you let him fuck you?" James repeated slowly, putting an angry, jealous bite to his words. Brooke thought about her nights with Kennedy, how they filled the large void for a few measly hours.

"James..." Brooke sighed. "I thought you'd moved on. You never called me back..."

"Fucking hell." James shook his head. "I didn't. I kept thinking of you all the time. I love you Brooke. And you come to California and you fuck some band dude?!"

"You don't get to judge me on that, James. Phones work both ways. I left you a voicemail telling you how much I missed you and wanted you, and I still fucking love you, okay? But you couldn't man up and call me back?"

"And what? Play phone tag with your answering machine?" James shot back. "You never picked up for me. You talked to Logan a few times, and Carlos one, but you ignored me and Kendall."

"You ignored me! And Kendall and I were never on good terms. After what he did to me...I didn't want to hear from him. Ever."

"I was afraid, okay?!" James shouted. "I was terrified that you didn't want me anymore, that you don't want me. You left me, Brooke."

"I didn't leave you." Brooke placed a hand on the side of his face, rubbing her thumb softly against his cheek. "James, I didn't leave you. I left the bad. I left the gossip and rumors."

"You didn't say goodbye. You could've told me." James murmured, placing hands on her waist.

"If I told you I was leaving, you would've tried to stop me or came with me. Kidnapping isn't my thing." Brooke replied. "James, Kennedy is nothing. He was a distraction."

"From what?" James asked.

"From feeling like you didn't want me anymore. You're the only thing in my life that's good. You know all the fucked up shit from my past now." Brooke whispered.

"We're going to have to talk about this." James said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into his body. "I love you, Brooke. Don't doubt that." Brooke opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by her phone beeping. She looked down as she pulled it out of her pocket.

"I have to go..." she said. "I have..a date with Kennedy." James let go of her and stood back. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay." James nodded, following her to the door. Before she could open it, he spun her around and pressed her up against the door, slamming his body into hers. He ducked down and kissed her, his lips mashing almost painfully against her own. James' tongue darted out, licking her bottom lip and she obliged, letting him in, reaching a hand up to entwine into his perfect, sandy brown hair. After a few moments, he pulled away from her, panting heavily.

"That's to show you that you're mine." he whispered, his voice a low seductive pitch. "Tell Kennedy to fuck off. I'm back." Brooke smirked breathlessly and nodded, liking the new, assertive James, opening the door and letting James out of the apartment before following after. They parted ways in the lobby, James giving her hand a tug before heading back out to the pool. She climbed into Kennedy's waiting car and smiled at him as she shut the door.

"Hey babe." he smiled, leaning over to kiss her. She pretended to sneeze, turning her head so he got her cheek. Kennedy laughed and smirked, reaching over and opening the glovebox.

"I got something for you." he murmured, a mischievous glint in his eye. Brooke bit her lip and reached into the glovebox, and pulled out the small box sitting on top of the papers.

"Ribbed for her pleasure, with intensifying lubricants on both sides." Brooke raised an eyebrow and looked at Kennedy. "You know how to win a girls heart."

"Well, you know." he shrugged, moving to start up his car again. Brooke put a hand on his, tossing the box of condoms back into the glovebox.

"We need to talk." she said softly. Kennedy put his hand down, resting it on his thigh as Brooke took a deep breath.

"What about?" he asked.

"You remember how I told you about my friends from Minnesota?" Kennedy nodded. "Well, apparently they're here now. And so is my boyfriend..."

"But you said James moved on?" Brooke stared a while at her lap, picking nervously at her cuticles.

"I was wrong...he was just too scared to talk to me. He thought I didn't want him anymore." she whispered. "I do. I have. Kennedy, I'm sorry, but we're not a relationship. We never even established if we were boyfriend and girlfriend before we slept together. We're better as friends, I think..."

"So I bought more condoms for nothing?" Brooke shrugged.

"You're a very handsome guy." she said. "I'm sure you'll find someone soon. There are probably girls lined up the block." Kennedy smiled.

"Is he a good guy? James, I mean?" Kennedy asked after a few moments of silence.

"He is." Brooke nodded. "There's a lot to us that you still don't know...a lot about me...I can't just up and leave a relationship like that. We're going to talk things out later. I really am sorry, Kennedy, I never should have led you on like this." Kennedy sighed and ran a hand through his short brown hair.

"I should've stopped after you told me about your boyfriend the first time." he said. "We're both at fault here." Brooke nodded.

"Tell you what, you can take this, go back to the guys, and write a song about me and how I broke your heart, ruined your life, and you get extra points if the words bitch or slut is in it." Brooke chuckled. Kennedy laughed and took her hand.

"I'll miss you." he said softly. "You'll come see us play when we're in town, right?"

"Of course. Just make sure I get prime seating." she smirked. "And I'll miss you too. You're fun."

"Sooo, what do you say one more romp? I cleaned the back of the car out." he joked, gesturing to the backseat. Brooke shook her head.

"As much as I would love to, I think it'd be for the best if I went back to my apartment right now. I'll talk to you later though. We're still friends, okay? I love you and the guys and I don't want this to ruin anything."

"I get where you're coming from." Kennedy nodded. "I'm not too hurt. I kinda felt the friends with benefits vibe myself. But the past two weeks were amazing. James is a lucky guy."

"He is." Brooke agreed. "I should go." Kennedy let go of her hand and she leaned over, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Write that song."

"I will. How do you feel about 'heartless bitch, you chewed me up and spat me out?' as a lyric?" Brooke laughed.

"I love it. I think it'll be a hit." Brooke put her hand on the door handle and looked back at him. "Good luck, Kennedy. You guys are going to go far."

"Thanks, Brooke." she gave him a smile and opened the door, stepping out and giving him a tiny wave before closing it and walking away. She stood by the Palm Woods entrance and bit her lip, watching him go.

"I thought you had a date..." Camille said as Brooke came back over to the table where she and Gavin were still sitting.

"We kinda broke it off." Brooke said, trying to keep her gaze off of James and the three other boys who were staring over at her.

"Well after the way that guy kissed you and you ran off with him, I'd leave Kennedy too." Gavin said, sipping his lemonade. Brooke rolled her eyes.

"Will you guys come with me?" Camille and Gavin shared a look and shrugged, standing up and following Brooke over to where the guys sat up in their chairs. "

"You want us to meet the new kids?" Camille asked. "You don't even know them." Brooke bit her lip.

"Camille, this is James, Logan, Carlos and Kendall..." she said softly. "These are the guys." Each of them gave a wave and a small smile. "Guys, this is my cousin Camille and our friend Gavin.

"Hello." Gav smiled, sending a wink towards James. James looked from him to Brooke and Brooke cleared her throat. "I know he's yours, relax." Brooke smiled.

"Can I hug you now, or are you going to talk more?" Carlos piped up. Brooke smiled and opened her arms, Carlos jumping up and over James' chair, landing directly in front of Brooke and wrapping his arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. "I missed you so much, Brooke."

"I missed you too, Carlos." Brooke whispered back. Carlos placed a kiss to her temple and let go of her, only to have Logan give her his lopsided smile and hug her as well.

"Good to see you." he said. Brooke smiled as she breathed in his familiar scent of old paper and cologne. "You're looking healthy."

"I've been eating more." she smiled as he pulled away. Kendall stood behind them. The tense air between them made everyone feel slightly awkward. Brooke stepped forward and embraced Kendall, shocking the boy and the rest of them that knew the story. Kendall wrapped his arms around Brooke's small frame and hunched a bit to whisper in her ear.

"I'm sorry." he said.

"You're forgiven. Don't bring it up anymore." she replied, giving him a small squeeze and pulling back, allowing James to take her hand and pull her back towards him.

"So, should we all go out to dinner or something?" Camille suggested.

"That sounds good." Logan smiled at her. Camille blushed and clasped her hands together in front of her.

"We can go back to that diner, down the street.." Gav suggested. Everyone nodded and began to head out. James took Brooke's hand, squeezing it tightly in his. She looked up, but for once, he wasn't looking back at her. He was gazing around the boulevard, watching the people and cars pass by.

* * *

The sun beat down on the kids of the Palm Woods. Brooke and Camille were laying out, soaking in as many rays as they could before Camille had to leave for work and interviews. Gavin was once again visiting, and was in the chair next to them, reading through Camille's script for the day. James was in the pool, amongst the other guys, laughing and swimming around. He and Brooke had talked a bit every night for the past week, clearing the air between them and trying to get back to the relationship they had before, but Brooke, unbeknownst to her boyfriend, was feeling a bit empty still.

"Brooke, your boyfriend is hot." Gav sighed as James placed his hands on the side of the pool, lifting himself out. All three friends looked over at him as the water dripped down his muscular body and his smile shone more than the sun.

"Paws off." Brooke giggled as Gavin began fanning himself with the script.

"I know he's yours and all, but that doesn't mean I can't look." Gav replied. "Oh he's stretching. That's going in the spank bank."

"Oh ew!" Camille laughed and Brooke gagged. "We don't need to know about your spank bank."

"What are you guys talking about?" Logan asked as he came by, rubbing a towel in his hair. Camille grinned up at him and he smiled shyly back.

"Gav's talking about putting James in his spank bank." Brooke shrugged. Logan furrowed his brow and chuckled, sitting down at the foot of Camille's lounge.

"Don't worry Logie, you're in there too." Gav sighed, pushing his sunglasses up his nose and laying back in his chair. "When I want my nerd fantasy to be fulfilled, your sweater vests do the trick." Logan gulped and looked at the two laughing girls with wide eyes.

"Logan, relax, he's joking." Brooke informed him. Logan nodded, still looking slightly perturbed. James came by and faked a large yawn, then fell on top of Brooke. She shrieked and groaned. "James! You're getting me wet!" James lifted his head from the crook of her neck and smirked.

"Save it for later, kitten." Brooke scoffed at his cheesy antics as he kissed her cheek and scooted her over so they were both sharing the lounge. "I love LA."

"Yeah, it's pretty great here." Logan agreed. "Too bad the Palm Woods and the studio is all we see of it."

"Yeah, but you guys have only been here a week. Gustavo is going to work you guys hard to make sure you're worth the risk." Brooke shrugged, absentmindedly tracing the grooves in James' abs with her fingertips.

"You're probably right." James said, looking down at her. She groaned and rested her head against his chest. "You okay?"

"I think the sun is getting to me. I'm starting to get a headache and I'm really sleepy all of a sudden." Brooke said. James nodded.

"Why don't you go on up to your apartment, and I'll come see you before we leave for the studio." he suggested. Brooke nodded and he kissed the side of her head as she got up and gathered her things, putting on her flip flops and waving to them as she went back inside. Once upstairs and in the apartment, Brooke headed towards her room, already feeling better with the cool air conditioning in the apartment. She opened her door, humming a song she heard on the radio under her breath the shouting in surprise. Kendall Knight was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking up at her.

"Kendall, Jesus Christ you nearly gave me a heart attack!" she groaned, shutting the door. "What are you doing in here...how did you get in the apartment?"

"You left the door unlocked..." Kendall answered softly. Brooke shook her head.

"I told Camille to lock it." she set her bag down on her desk and turned back to face him. "Why are you in my bedroom?"

"I wanted to talk to you." he stood up, his hands in the pockets of his swim trunks. "I need to properly apologize to you."

"Like I said earlier this week, you're forgiven. It would've come out sooner or later anyways." Brooke shrugged.

"I went crazy, Brooke." Kendall shook his head. "I-I don't know what it is about you that made me that way, but I wanted you, and I wanted to figure you out before anybody else. I just...I want to apologize for the way I went about everything, and I let my temper get the best of me and I shouldn't have said anything at that party."

"You're right." Brooke nodded. "You were a complete jerk about everything. But I accept your apologies." she bit the inside of her cheek.

"I-When we made love that night, Brooke-"

"We had sex, we didn't make love." Brooke shook her head. "You have to _be_ in love, to make love."

"I'm in love with you, Brooke. Please." Kendall stepped closer to her. "You can't tell me you didn't feel something that night."

"I did." Brooke admitted. "I'll give you credit, you're good in bed. But that doesn't mean I love you back. I love James."

"You can love more than one person, you know." Kendall said. Brooke crinkled her eyebrows in confusion.

"You want me to love James and you the same way like nothing is wrong with that?" she asked. "You're mental. Completely."

"Brooke, we don't have to tell anyone." Kendall said, putting his hands on her bare waist, pinkies grazing the sides of her bikini bottom. "Tell me you don't feel something when I do this." without another word, Kendall leaned down and placed his lips on hers. His hands pulled her closer to him and his tongue grazed her bottom lip. After a few moments she obliged and let him in, bringing her hands up to cup his jaw and pull him impossibly closer. The empty feeling inside her had swelled and closed up as soon as Kendall's lips touched hers. Brooke almost whined in disappointment when he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers, his bright green eyes boring into hers.

"I don't want to hurt James. I don't want to hurt myself." Brooke whispered. "I don't want to hurt anyone, Kendall."

"We'll be lovers." Kendall murmured, "No one will know and no one will get hurt. I promise."

"Everyone will get hurt if I agree to this. I've hurt James enough already." Brooke stepped back from his grasp and folded her arms across her chest. "You should go."

"Give me a chance. You owe me at least that. You never did." Brooke sighed and rolled her eyes.

"I-I'll think about it." she finally said. Kendall grinned. "Please go. I'm tired and James is going to come up here soon." Kendall came over to her and placed a quick, loving kiss on her lips before leaving her bedroom. She waited for the apartment door to shut and she shook her head, going to her bed and picking up her tank top and shorts, pulling them on and climbing onto her bed, pulling the light quilt that was folded at the bottom of it up and laying down, biting her lip, contemplating what she was thinking about getting herself into before she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_reviews are love!_

_xoxo_

_k_


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